Shadows Past and Future V2
by Shadow Sword
Summary: Halloween is over. Changes began ripple out as secrets begin to be revealed. Wiffish. XC. WIP
1. Rising Chaos

Disclaimer: Buffy and Co. belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Others belong to their respective owners. I own Nothing

Rating: T

Archives: Ask if you want.

Spoilers: Primarily season 2 Halloween but may include any episode.

Summary: Buffy, Willow and Xander change into different people.

* * *

Friday, October 31, 1997

* * *

Ethan sits before his altar chanting "Janus, evoco vestram animam. Exaudi meam causam. Carpe noctem pro consilio vestro. Veni, appare et nobis monstra quod est infinita potestas." 

Janus, I invoke your spirit. Hear my plea. Seize the night for your own reason. Come, appear and show to us that which is infinite power.>

"Persona se corpum et sanguium commutandum est. Vestra sancta praesentia concrescet viscera. Janus! Sume noctem!"

The mask transforms itself into flesh and blood. Your holy presence curdles the heart. Janus! Take the night!>

He raises his head and with a grim grin intones a single word "Showtime!"

* * *

A vampire clad student is escorting a group of costume clad kids as they walk by Buffy's group coming back from a house. She crouches down to see what they've got asking "What did Mrs. Davis give you?" 

They all pull out toothbrushes.

She grimaces "She must be stopped. Let's hit one more house. We still have a few more minutes before I need to get you back." as she says. While standing up a wind begins to blow. She senses something isn't quite right. Suddenly she blinks and her eyes seem to shine golden in the night. She blinks again and her eyes are back to normal.

* * *

Willow follows her charges along the porch to the door pleading "C'mon, guys." One of the kids with a green monster mask on his head rings the bell and steps back. An old lady answers the door. The kid pulls it down over his face. 

The kids cry "Trick-or-treat!"

The old lady gushes "Oh, my goodness, aren't you adorable!" She looks down into her empty candy bucket. "Oh, dear! Am I all out? . . . I could've sworn I had more candy."

The kid wearing a red rubber cap with horns morphs into a horned, red skinned monster.

As she bends down "I'm sorry, mister monster. Maybe I..."

The kid with the green mask has changed into a monster also, and grabs the lady by the neck and begins to choke her . The other kids scream and run away.

"No! Let her go!" At Willow's cry the red monster attacks the green one, and he lets go of the lady. The two monsters are at each other's throats. "Stop! What're you doing!"

As the lady scrambles back into the house and slams the door shut. "Stop! Hey!"

As the two monsters keep fighting, Willow suddenly starts to feel dizzy. As she starts to loses her balance, she leans against the house.

* * *

Joyce Summers looks over the soiree at the gallery as the eldritch wind flows through the night, while she mingles with the patrons. One of the more enthusiastic couples garbed as a knight and his lady greet her "Ah, there you are Mrs. Summers. Lovely evening. A most interesting costume if I may say." 

"Mr. And Mrs. Mason, so nice of you to join us tonight." She smiles knowingly while furling her wings up and away from the punch bowl, a glint of humor in her eyes. "And how is little Brian doing?"

"Fine, fine. Thank you for asking. . . . I wanted to ask ..." as they pass away from the door,

Joyce's tail subtly twisting and waving as they walk.

* * *

Xander stands there watching all the parents and children running panicked around him. As the sounds of things being thrown and windows being broken echo through the darkness, he jerks back like he's just been hit by something. He bends over slightly, looks down and lowers his toy rifle. Slowly he straightens back up and surveys the scene around him. He raises his rifle again and cradles the fully automatic P-90 in his hands. He shoulders the weapon and spins around, scanning for a threat. When he doesn't immediately find one, he takes the rifle from his shoulder and holds it at rest.

* * *

She stands up from the wall, pulling the sheet off over her head. "Nan desu ka" What the? as she looks around at the suburban night. The two monsters fighting and growling, draw her attention. "Boomers" she curses softly. Taking advantage of them being absorbed in their struggle, she backs off the porch slowly. Several rifle shots draw her attention and she turns to look. She cautiously makes her way toward the armed soldier as he seems to have some idea of what's going on. 

As she walks out into the street and comes up behind him, he turns around warily her and looks up at her "Willow?" relief lighting up his face.

She stands there warily watching him.

"It's me, Xander!"

"Xander San o sirimasen desu." I don't know any Xander.

"Willow, quite messing around. This is no time for jokes."

A monster appears across the street, growling. Xander swings the rifle at it. It runs away.

"Nan des . . ." she takes a moment to calm herself down "What the hell's going on here?" still speaking with a Japanese accent

"You don't know me?" At her quick head shake, he grimaces. Suddenly his face goes white, looking over her shoulder. "Buffy!"

"Who is this Buffy?"

"Someone I thought died years ago. She's a friend like you." as he jogs over to her, Willow keeping with him for now.

"Are you okay, Buffy?"

"Who is this Buffy?" she counters with a strong Italian accent.

The monster returns with a friend, and they both roar as they approach. Xander shoulders his P- 90 again and takes aim. He fires off a couple of rounds at the approaching monster's feet. They turn tail and run. Xander slowly lowers his rifle. "Perhaps we should get inside so that we can figure what the hell is going on around here without having to worry about getting eaten."

Willow pops up "Who's Buffy?" as the three start to walk cautiously.

Another monster comes around the tree behind Buffy and roars, fangs bared and claws raised to attack. Buffy and Willow scream and back off. Xander jumps in and whacks the monster across the face with the butt of his rifle, knocking it down and out.

Xander: "I suggest we get inside before we come across anything..."

Buffy screams as she jumps in front of a tree "How wonderful! If only Da Vinci could see this." as a sport utility vehicle comes driving down the street with its headlights on.

Willow: "It's just a car".

Buffy "And just what is a car?"

Willow: "Is this woman insane?"

Xander "She's never seen a car."

Willow "She's never seen a car?"

Xander "She's from the past. . . Oh, this is fun." turning towards Buffy "What year is this?"

Buffy replies in a confused voice "1685, I believe. I don't understand. Who are you?"

"We're friends. I'm Sergeant Alexander Harris, United States Army. As far as I'm aware, the year is 2019. Call me Xander"

Willow cuts in "Priscilla Asagiri of Japan, Priss for short. I think that it's 2035 "

"Isabella Rosellinia, originally Italy, now of Paris, France. You may call me Isabella." she takes a deep breath "Friends of yours? Your dress... Everything is strange! How did I, . . did we come to be here?"

Xander looks up "You guys really love screwing with us don't you. How are we supposed to get

through this without the Slayer?"

Willow asks "What's a Slayer?" while Buffy looks on knowingly.

"We'll talk after we get inside. I know a place, I think."

"You don't know?" the two girls in unison. They look at each other, faces set in similar expressions of surprise.

"Hey, it's been almost twenty years for me. But this looks very familiar." shaking his head, he leads them.

* * *

Xander pushes open the door and scans the room. "Hello? Mrs. Summers?" he pauses a moment listening "Good, she's gone."After they enter he closes the door. 

Buffy "Where are we?"

"Your place. Now we just need to..."

They're interrupted by a banging at the front door. Xander goes to investigate, and Willow and Buffy follow.

Willow: "Don't open it!"

Xander: "Could be a civilian."

Willow: "Or a mini boomer."

Buffy notices a picture on a table and goes over to look. She picks it up, and sees it's of her wearing a spaghetti strap top. She turns around as Willow comes over to her and looks at it too.

Buffy points toward her "This... this could be me. How?"

Xander "It is you. Buffy, can't you remember at all?"

"It seems vaguely familiar, like a dream. I, I don't understand any of this! Uh, uh, th..."

"That's okay Bu... uhm Isabella" He smiles before turning and scanning the outside through one of the small windows in the door. He moves away just as a monster punches through the glass and reaches for him. It pulls its hand back as Xander raises his P-90.

Xander lets loose a volley of bullets. Willow winces at the noise. Buffy bows her head and covers her ears. Rolling away from the door when he's finished his burst, "Big noise scare monster, remember?" amusement shining on his face as he explains.

"Got it."

They hear a woman screaming outside. Xander looks outside yet again. "Damn it!"

He opens the door and goes out to rescue whomever it is, pulling the door closed behind him.

Buffy runs up to Willow so that they can see what he's doing.

* * *

Cordelia screams as she runs from a large furry humanoid. "Somebody help me!"She looks back over her shoulder at the monster chasing her and screams yet again. When she turns back around again she plows into him. "Xander! Help me!" 

"Come inside! Hurry!"

He takes her by her elbow and leads her to the house. Inside Willow watches through the window. They quickly come in through the door. Once they're through Buffy pushes the door shut behind them.

"Cordelia! Are you okay?" As he turns a locks the door.

"Wait a... What's going on?"

"Okay, your name is Cordelia, you're not a cat, you're in high school, and we're sort of your friends."

Cordelia: "That's nice, Xander. And you went mental when?"

"You know us?"

Cordelia: "Yeah. Lucky me. What's with the name game?"

"A lot's going on."

"No kidding. I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. Look at my costume!" She gestures at the tears in her costume. "Do you really think that Partytown's gonna give me my deposit back? Not likely."

Xander has taken his shirt off and puts it around her shoulders. "Here."

"Thanks." she looks around the them "What's that riff?"

"We're under a spell, okay? We think that we're somebody else. Allow me to introduce Isabella Rosellinia." as he waves to Buffy who graciously nods her head. And this is Priss."

Willow just nods. "Yo."

"And you?"

"Sergeant Alexander Harris, U.S. Army at your service. Cordy, could you look for a phone. I'll

take these two upstairs to raid Buffy's weapons."

Cordelia: "Who died and made you the boss?"

"Fourteen years of service. Do you know what to do? Oh, and when Angel shows up, make sure to lock the door behind him. I'll check the upstairs while I'm there."

* * *

Several monsters are chasing screaming people down the street as Spike strolls merrily along. Car alarms wail their cries to the uncaring shadows cast from the flaring fires scattered here and there. 

"Well! This is just... neat!"

* * *

"Ladies, this is Buffy's room. I think that the weapons are stored in the trunk." He steps out, pulling the door shut behind him. 

Willow sees a picture on the wall by the mirror during her scan of the room. "Whoa!"

Buffy interrupts her examination of the room to pick it up. It's of the three of them. She looks back and forth between it and into the mirror. "He might just be right. I know that this is not my face. And yet here it is." She brings her left hand to her cheek.

"This isn't the face I recognize either." She looks into Buffy's eyes. "I'll accept his explanation for now, as unlikely as it sounds."

Buffy opens the closet and looks in. "Perhaps we should change into something more practical while we're here. Fighting in this is ridiculous."

"Yeah, this getup don't give any protection either."

The door opens and Xander peeks in. "I thought you were getting weapons."

"We have decided that a change of clothing is required. I for one, simply cannot defend myself effectively in this gown. And her clothing, while quite appealing, have little value in a conflict."

She turns, grabs the trunk and pulls it out and opens it. After removing the tray, she looks up at Xander "What are we fighting?"

"I'm worried about vampires mainly. Stake to the heart, decapitation, fire and sunlight will kill them, holy water burns and crosses repel." They gather up a selection stacking them in Xander's arms. He takes them downstairs while the girls get changed.

They begin to change into jeans and blouses. As she begins to button up her blouse, Buffy glances at the mirror, noticing what a lovely body Willow, Priss, whatever her name was, has. The flat stomach; the slender, round thighs tapering down toward her knees after which they swelled slightly into graceful calves. She slowly raises her gaze following those thighs up to a shapely derriere. That flat stomach rising from her hidden delights and leading up to a pair of small, but perfectly shaped, breasts covered by her bra. As her gaze drifts up, she comes at last to that red framed vision. A smile gracing her elfin features, as she looks into enchanting green eyes.

Lightly blushing, she speaks "I must apologize if I have cause you any distress, but such a vision of exquisite beauty is such a rare occurrence that I simply could not help myself." Taking Willow's hand, she lifts and bestows a kiss upon it.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Isabella?" as she slips a blouse on.

"That would depend on whether or not I am succeeding." she smiles at Willow, one that seems to make the room as bright as day before it returns to a look of mild confusion. "It is so strange to that I can recognize a light switch even though I can not recall ever seeing such a thing before.

There are items that if I just pause for a moment, I know how to use, things that I have never seen before. It is most confusing."

"It's hard. to find yourself in a place and time that is so different from what you're used to." And with that she hugs Buffy, who returns it.

* * *

Angel rushes into the kitchen, pushing the door shut behind him as he starts toward the living room. 

"Hey, don't you know any better? Lock the door."

Spinning around, surprise evident, "Cordelia? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for the phone and making sure no monsters sneak in by locking the door."

"Where's Buffy?"

"Upstairs with Willow and Xander looking for weapons. But she's not Buffy now."

"Huh. I'm a little lost here. What do you mean she's not Buffy now?"

"They don't know who they are, save for Xander, everyone's turned into a monster or something, it's a whole big thing." as she actually locks the door. "How are you?"

Just after Cordelia turns from the door, something smashes into it, shaking the door on it's hinges. Face plastered against the door is the student escort in a vampire costume. He shakes the door, grows and fades back into the shadows.

"Guess we should barricade the doors while we're at it."

"Don't bother dead boy, Queen C. I don't think we'll be here long enough for it to matter." as he comes into the kitchen and sets his load on the isle.


	2. Plans and Portents

"Don't bother dead boy, Queen C. I don't think we'll be here long enough for it to matter." as he comes into the kitchen and sets his load on the island.

"Okay, somebody wanna fill me in?"

"Calm down, soul boy." Xander glares at Angel. "Buff and Willow decided that they needed to change out of their costumes. They'll be down when they're done. And you need to be careful you don't lose that pesky soul."

"What do you mean?" as he grinds out the question.

"Buffy thinks she's some Italian woman from 1685 named Isabella. And Willow thinks she's Japanese from 2035 called Priss. And I'm me from 2019. Where's the phone?"

"It's here." as she points.

"Thanks Cordy." he walks over and starts paging through the phone book.

* * *

Giles is going through a stack of cards he's pulled from the card catalog. Muffled yelling and sirens outside causing him to look up, wondering what's going on. The phone sudden shrilly rings as he jumps in complete surprise, letting the cards leap from his hands all over the place. Recovering his composure, he answers it just after the third ring. "Ah, Hello."

"Hey G-man, it's good to hear your voice again."

"Xander, what's happening?"

"Long story short. Buffy, Willow, a bunch of kids and I turned into our costumes."

"Oh. Who did" with a crackle the line suddenly died. "Oh dear lord." He takes off his glasses and polishes them, swiftly lost in thought.

AA

Xander hangs the phone up as the lights go dark. "We got cut off. We'll have to make a run for the school library."

"Are you crazy! It's chaos out there!" as they make their way into the living room.

"We'll travel together and avoid whatever we can. The sooner we can stop it, the fewer people will get hurt, C."

"Fine. We'll wait for the freaks and then we'll go."

In the silence that follows, the sounds from outside are heard. The infrequent crackle of gunfire, the screams of people in distress and an occasional car horn are the only things heard until the two girls come down the stairs.

Angel turns "Buffy!" and grabs at her, his hand making contact with her breast.

A dull thud sounds as Buffy kicks him in the shin. Her left hand smacks into his right cheek. Her right hand smashes into his stomach with a muffled thwack forcing him up off the floor. "How dare you take such liberties with my person!" He slowly collapses to the floor, his arms wrapped around his stomach, disabled in less then a second. "Who is this cad?"

"He's your boyfriend, Bu . . uhm . . He's Buffy's boyfriend, Isabella."

Buffy kneels down beside him "I may look like your friend, but I am not this Buffy. My name is Isabella Rosellinia. And if you try that again, I shall thrash you like the cur you are, leech."

"Ah, Isabella."

"Yes, sergeant."

"Calm down. He didn't think."

"He needs to learn some manners. If I had my sword, I would not hesitate to run him through." while she stands up.

"Okay." He takes a moment to gather his thoughts "I spoke to Giles but we got cut off just after I gave him the basics. So we should get to the library. If we run into trouble, remember that Cordelia or I should continue on while the rest act as a distraction. After that, find a spot to dig in. Any suggestions?"

The rest of the group replies with no's and sounds good. They arm themselves and head out into the shadows over Sunnydale.

* * *

The night presses down upon then, the scattered noises from earlier have faded and infrequently jar the unnatural silence. Our band of intrepid individuals prowl through the night, hoping to be unnoticed. A forlorn hope.

The normally unflappable Cordelia screams as the blueish bolt missed her, sending a shock through her. The sizzling bolt snapped into the stop sign they had just pasted, leaving behind the scent of ozone while the charred metal smolders. Xander, who had been leading, dives for cover on the other side of the street as the rest take cover behind the trees along the cracked sidewalk. They peek around looking for their attackers.

Three beings stand there in the side street. Percy is dressed in fatigues with a small snakelike weapon in one hand on the left. The next stands on the right, sheathed sword at Larry the pirate's side. The third, garbed in robes in the center finishing the motions of a spell as a menacing figure appears with a black shimmer. The new arrival is a black metal humanoid with skeletal features leading up to a skull like head, bearing a spear of an equally dark metal.

The robed figure calls out "Kill them." and the figure readies it's weapon and charges as Cordelia is hit and collapses.

Xander sets into a sheltered position, making sure that his cover blocks the crackling shots from the zat. He pauses for a split second taking aim at the metallic creature before opening fire. The three round burst strikes the thing tearing into it's armored hide driving it back momentarily leaving brackish blood steaming as hits the road. Percy counters with Zat fire at his cover. Angel fades into the shadows along the backside of the trees. The girls stay where they are waiting for their foes to get closer.

Xander empties the clip into the thing shattering the hollow armor. Unable to run, it's only reaction is to continue limping forward, it's only sounds those made by it's feet of the asphalt.

As it reaches the them, Buffy uncoils from behind the sheltering tree, grabbing the shaft in her left hand, she slams her stake into a hole smashed into it's chest. Willow jumps out behind her, at merely human speed, and shoves a stake into hole under its arm sending it clattering to the ground.

Angel picks this moment to strike from the shadows, catching the pirate a heavy blow to his left arm, smashing into him with a meaty thud and driving him into dark cultist.

Percy the soldier takes two steps back and snaps a shot into Angel. He starts to shift targets when Angel uppercuts the cultist who falls limply backwards. Two more bolts strike Angel and he collapses on top of the downed guy. Larry recovers his balance and starts toward Xander, drawing his sword while he moves. The other walks forward aiming at Buffy who is shifting the spear to a guard position. He shoots, catching her in the shoulder as she attempts to dodge. She bonelessly collapses to the ground.

Willow jumps back out of sight for the moment, keeping the tree between her and the shooter.

Larry the pirate clashes with Xander shouting "Nobody defeats Mandracore the Reaver!" swinging his sword with deadly accuracy, only to be knocked aside by Xander using his rifle. A swift return buttstroke staggers the self named Reaver.

Percy approaches and circles the tree, trying to get a clear shot at Willow, not paying much attention to those on the ground. As he gets steps over Buffy, she opens her eyes and kicks him in the groin, bringing him to his knees and dropping his weapon. A swift strike to the head and he drops unconscious.

The slashing stroke from Larry is blocked yet again by Xander who follows up by smashing the rifle butt into the solar plexis. A right cross later and Larry joins the rest of his mates. "It's strange, but beating up that pirate gave me a weird sense of closure."

Xander picks up the zat and momentarily freezes, stunned. "Bu . . . Bu . . . Isabella, you were shot with this."

"Yes, I was. Is there something wrong?"

"This weapon works like this. The first shot is supposed to stuns, the second shot kill and the third shot turns to dust." as he demonstrates the weapon on the stop sign that was hit earlier.

Surprisingly the third shot does not disintegrate the sign, it takes six.

Angel groans as he stands up "What was that?"

Buffy walks over and takes the pirate's sword and sheath while Willow picks up the spear. Angel drags the unconscious attackers to side of the road while Xander grabs a short curved sword that was hidden under the guy's robes. Angel picks up Cordy and they resume their journey to the library.

* * *

The doors swing open with a bang. Willow warily enters the room, short sword held ready. Giles jumps as Angel carries Cordelia in over his shoulder. Xander enters right behind, a spear in one hand and the zat in the other. Buffy glides into the room, her right hand at the sword sheathed at her left hip, her eyes sweeping the room.

"Hey Giles." Xander pops out. "Any luck with the research?"

"None yet. Um, to review, everybody became, uh, whatever they were masquerading as approximately."

"Yep. I became Sergeant Alexander Harris and until I saw Buffy and Willow, I thought that the year was 2019."

"Why until you saw them?"

"I remember Buffy dying in 2006, sacrificed by her supposed boyfriend. My best friend Willow, unfortunately, is a broken shell of a woman scared of her own power."

Angel growls out "What are you implying?"

"Nothing. You two split up after graduation because of the loophole in your curse. One moment of pure happiness and bye-bye soul and hello to Angelus, scourge of Europe."

"What?"

"On her seventeenth birthday, you lost your soul. You killed Miss Calendar and others. Buffy had to send you to Hell to save the world and it nearly destroyed her. She ran away and was gone for months. She was just a shell of herself even after she returned. And just when she was starting to move on, you got sent back for some reason and then played the tragic hero and left for LA after graduation ripping her heart out again."

"You're just making that up."

"No. She's the sister I never had and this time I have a chance to help her. Check the curse before it's to late."

"This is interesting but about the events of tonight?"

"Sorry Giles. I wanted to make sure people know of the curse in case I forget when this spell ends."

"Are you sure it's a spell?"

"Pretty sure. Something about an Ethan?" he muses deep in thought.

"Ethan? Would that be an Ethan Rayne by any chance?" He takes off his glasses and begins to polish them.

"I think so. I remember that we had a few encounters with him, Ripper."

"Okay." A glint of lethality and menace shines from behind Giles' normal facade.

"Excuse me."

"Pardon me. Giles. This is Isabella Rosellinia of Paris. Isabella, Rupert Giles, our local knowledge guy."

"Isabella Rosellinia? I've heard of you."

"You know me, monsieur?"

"I know of you. Is it true that you are a sword master?"

"I have some skill with a blade." she smiles "Is this person Angel a vampire?"

The rest of the group shows varying amounts of surprise at the question. "Why do you ask?"

Giles asks.

"Because before tonight, I have encountered vampires several times. Each time they have tried to convince me to accompany them. And each time, I have felt the same scratching sensation here." She points to her head. "It is as if they were trying to reach inside me and make me want to go with them. And unless we are fighting, he gives me that same feeling. It is much less irritating, more subtle, but unmistakable. I think that he is trying to influence me. Though whether he realizes it is a different matter."

"Interesting. This is fascinating." He looks up "But for another time."

"Giles!"

"Yes, Xander."

"This is Priscilla Asagiri of Japan, Priss for short. From the year 2035."

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Asagiri."

"Priss."

Cordelia comes to with a soft cry of pain. She looks around "Oh great. You brought me to the library were all the bad stuff happens."

"Doesn't this thing work right?" Xander queries as he pulls out and examines the zat. He sits at the table and starts to examine it carefully.

"What is that?"

"This? It's called a Zat'Nicatel or zat for short." He puts his elbows on the table and leans over, his forehead coming to rest on his hands. "We don't have time for this."

"Quite right. Does anyone know where Ethan may be at?"

"The costume shop that Cordelia didn't go to."

"You are as brilliant as you are beautiful, Priss." Buffy says in a seductive tone, winking at her.

Angel, Cordelia and Xander look at her momentarily shocked while Willow lightly blushes.

"When did you get ..."

"That's enough. People, Miss Isabella is openly bi. She is mentioned in one of the Watcher's Chronicles." Giles asks, frantically polishing his glasses.

"So you're a Watcher?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Um guys. ."

"Yes, Miss Priss?"

"Don't call me miss. And shouldn't we be after this Ethan?"

"Quite right. Who knows where the shop is?"

"I do. Since the freaks are out of order, I'll take you there."

"We should all go. We may not know each other but we have an idea of what to do. Giles, Cordy, grab a weapon. Vampie will take the rear, soldier boy can take point and Isabella and I will play bodyguard."

"But . . ."

"Get a weapon. We're seen something appear out of thin air. Better safe then sorry."

"Very well. Cordelia, what do you want?"

"I'm fine. I've got a couple of stakes and a cross."

"Of course." as he pulls a sword and two stakes from the cage. The group makes their way out of the library.

* * *

Her wings sweep through the air, enjoying the wind over her face. Sighing softly in pleasure, she circles over the school watching carefully. As a group of people make their way out and into the night, she follows them.

As they make their way toward the nexus of the spell, she smiles and ,flapping her wings twice, speeds to the street in front of the shop. Bending her will, she sends a faint call to certain beings on the loose, drawing them to the area..

* * *

Isabella shivers and looks up. At her movement, the others look skyward just in time to see a winged figure speed ahead of them and out of sight over the buildings. 


	3. Trials and Tribulations

The trip to Ethan's was quiet. Those that saw them shied off at the presence of weapons in the hands of people who obviously knew how to use them. It was when they reached the place that things begin to get interesting.

Eight figures are scattered around. Spike and three of his minions are standing by the entrance. Twenty feet farther away in the parking lot stands a figure in blood splattered plate armor, like a knight save for the red glowing eyes visible even at this distance, a smoking broadsword in it's gauntlet clad fist. Beside him stands a pig faced being that looks like something out of Star Wars bearing an ax. Beside the street itself stands a wolflike humanoid dressed in what appears to be a leather jacket, with a sword of some sort sheathed on it's left and a futuristic looking rifle in it's hands. Beside it , leaning against a streetlight, is a demonic figure, about eight feet and what appear to be functional wings.

"Well, well, well. About time you got here, slayer."

"What's a slayer?" Buffy asks.

"Oh this will be to easy." as Spike flicks his cigarette to the ground.

As the wolf guy raises it's rifle, Xander snaps a bolt into it. Buffy and Willow draw their swords and step forward, Buffy on the left and Willow on the right.

Giles and Cordelia stay on the walk as Angel steps up beside Buffy.

The bluish bolt crackles across the distance. The wolf guy spasms and collapse to the ground, it's rifle clattering on the concrete sidewalk.

Pig face and red eyes draw their weapons and as they turn and start to walk toward our heros.

Spike orders "You three can take the bird and the wanker. Our friends can deal with peaches. And the others. I've got a slayer to kill."

"You said that vampires need to be decapitated, sergeant?"

"That's right, Bu. . Isabella. The beached blonde and the three with him are safe to kill."

"Angel, you should assist someone else.'

"But .. Bu..Isa . .."

"No. I have never backed down from a challenge and I am not about to start now. There are others who need your assistance more. Show that you have some honor at least."

"Yeah peaches. The slayer and I will have ourselves a match, mate, so sod off."

Angel backs off, acting hurt, as he draws back out of the looming fight. The three minions hold their ground as the other two approaches.

The one at the light speaks "This might by interesting." He yawns and remains there, watching with the air of one who is supremely disinterested.

Spike walks to the middle of the small lot and turns to face Buffy. The armored figure takes a place on his right, the pig faced one to spikes right. Buffy steps up to ten feet in front of Spike.

Willow takes position beside Buffy and Xander grasps his spear and steps up on the other side facing the black knight. Spike's minions move forward to block Giles and Cordelia.

"Shall we dance, my opponent?"

"Certainly luv." With that Spike rushes forward aiming a lightning jab at Buffy's face. She side steps and draws her sword in a rising slash. The others jump to blows.

He jumps back and settles down into an irregular sequence, taking his time for now.

Pig face starts by swinging his ax in short deadly arcs. Willow deflects the first blows, slowly shifting to an aggressive offense whittling away at the ax, occasionally cutting notches in it.

Xander fights with skill and care. Using the spear to block the strikes with an occasional jab that seems to tear trough the heavy armor as it were thin aluminum. And yet despite his skill, the dark knight clearly has the upper hand, it's sword burning cuts where it makes contact.

Cordelia holds her cross trying to hold off the minions while Giles wields the sword he bears in a desperate attempt to hold them off.

Angel starts as Cordelia screams. One of the minions has managed to grab her and the other two are keeping Giles penned against the wall, his desperate strokes keeping them away for now. Realizing their danger, he finally realizes that if Cordelia and Giles fall, Buffy will be in even more danger. He leaps to their aid, grabbing Cordy's captor's head and snapping his neck.

Willow gains the upper hand as she slices the ax in two, it's head spinning through the air and smashing into a window, sending shards of glass into the store. The thing panics and flees.

Buffy thrusts and slashes with the skill of a master, keeping Spike off balance as he desperately weaves and dodges until a swift thrust cuts deep into his left knee. A second thrust rips into his right arm, biting deep and sending forth a spray of blood. Spike shows his usual judgement and begins to retreat. "Your friend could use a speck of help."

Xander is holding on, barely. The dark knight has battered him to the ground and is about to deliver a decapitating blow. As the sword comes down, he rolls toward the knight who slams the sword into the pavement.

With Angel's entrance into the fray, Giles and Cordelia have a respite. As the broody vampire delivers bone breaking punches, Giles pulls a stake off and introduces it into the minions' backs, dusting both of them.

Buffy rushes to help the wildly dodging Xander. She unleashes her fury into a swift and overpowering attack. The knight loses it's sword in a display of skill. It bring it hands up to continue the fight when the creature leaning against the lamppost breaks it's silence.

"Enough. Your side lost. Deal with it." The blood splattered knight eases up.

The figure stands and walks over to Buffy. "You have won the fight and what prizes you wish to claim. As for me?" It smiles and suddenly transforms into a human. About five foot eight wearing a dark brown trench coat and gloves, his face obscured by shadows. "We were called here to keep us out of mischief." He turns and escorts the knight away into the deepening night.

Xander picks up the knight's sword which bursts into a nearly invisible flame, while the rest put their weapons away. Giles picks up the spear, looking at it curiously.

Taking a few moments to prepare themselves, our valiant band opens the door to Ethan's and walks in. And on the roof opposite, a mysterious winged figure drops silently to the ground and follows them in.

* * *

They enter the shop, Giles taking the lead. As they look around, Willow silently points out the curtain covered entrance to the back. Giles walks in followed by the rest.

There on the small table rests the bust of Janus, it's eyes glowing an sickly green.

Giles sighs. "Janus. Mythical Roman god.

"So this means what exactly?" Buffy asks.

"Primarily the division of self. Male and female, light and dark."

"Chunky and creamy. Oh, no, sorry, that's peanut butter." Ethan appears from another room.

"Well the gangs all here. . . What? No hug? Aren't you pleased to see your old mate, Rupert?"

" I'm just surprised I didn't guess it was you. This Halloween stunt stinks of Ethan Rayne."

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? Don't wish to blow my own trumpet, but it's genius. The very embodiment of 'be careful what you wish for'."

"It's sick, brutal, and it harms the innocent. And some of your victims didn't quite end up as you expected."

"So this is the cur that caused all the trouble tonight?"

"Ah princess. What would your father think of such language?"

"My grandfather would ask 'is it true' and then tell me to do this." Taking the opportunity, Buffy kicks Ethan in the family jewels.

A high pitched moan of unspeakable agony hisses through Ethan's tightly clenched jaws as he slowly bends over shielding his injury as he then collapses to the floor.

Xander and Angel wince in sympathy for a fellow man's agony.

"How do you break the spell?" Giles asks, his voice making a glacier sound warm as he smashes his foot into Ethan's left arm.

Ethan smirks "Say 'pretty please'."

Giles kicks him hard in the kidney, and he yells out in pain.

"Break the statue." A feminine voice carries clearly through the shop from behind them.

As they look at her in surprise, Angel manages to say what everyone else is thinking "Mrs. Summers?"

"Yes and no. It's a long story you don't have the time. The spell he cast has, for tonight at least, allows me to walk as I truly am until dawn." Joyce Summers simply states, her dark feathered wings furled almost concealing the dark purple body suit and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She shakes her head sending waves through her now light gray, almost metallic silver, hair. "For now I'm not allowed to directly interfere however. All I can do is give information and advice."

Giles takes a step and picks up the statue. Raising it over his head, he throws it to the floor where it shatters, sending pieces flying through the room. A flare of green light washes over them and slowing fades leaving behind a triangle of golden lines shining in the darkened room amid the broken statue.

"Mrs. Summers, you said breaking the statue would break the spell, did you not?"

"That spell broke Mr. Giles. This is something else. Someone somehow managed to tap into the power of at least one true chaos god for this."

"Someone?" Giles inquires.

"If it was Ethan, the statue would have glowed gold. It was someone else, someone who was affected by Ethan's spell."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because this" as Joyce gestures toward the gold glowing triangle "was concealed within the primary spell. It signifies a modification or augmentation to the original spell."

"Ma'am, just what does this mean?"

"It means, Xander, that the three of you are stuck like this until dawn. It also means one of you somehow asked a chaos god for help and it/they responded."

"One of them?"

"At least one, Angel. Otherwise they would have reverted to normal too." She pauses for a moment lost in thought.

Giles looks around and notices that Ethan has disappeared. "When did he leave?"

She starts, jarred out of her introspection and answers "He crawled out of here while everyone was looking at me when I entered."

She intently looks at each of the others. Pointing to Buffy, Willow and Xander "You, you and you. Come over here and stand evenly around this." as she points to the glowing triangle. The three of them move into the indicated positions and wait. "Now each of you reach out and touch the side nearest you." Again the three reach out, cautiously, until they make contact. The golden light flares and brightens rapidly. In a moment, the light is to bright to look a. Everyone looks away, bringing hands up to block the light. The light slowly dies away, retreating the left ring finger of the three, leaving behind a ring. A ring forged of some unknown golden substance that seems to shift when looked upon, each of the three with a different symbol embossed on the face.

In the ensuing silence, the sound of Giles clearing his throat calls them back to reality. "We should get moving. Miss Isabella and Priss, We need to determine where you will be spending the night."

"Not a problem. I'll give Willow's parents a call and tell them that she's staying with Buffy. And you two can stay with me, if you don't mind." Joyce looks over the group, "Angel, go home.

Anything you need to know, they'll tell you when they have time. Xander, I suggest you tell Giles what you know, at least the big things. Nobody will be able to scry anything within ten miles of the Hellmouth tonight. And don't tell the Council what you learn tonight, Giles. There are secrets that they should never find out. Cordelia, unless you want to get involved, go home. We'll get together for lunch tomorrow."

"We should be careful. There's no telling what damage you could do to the time line if you just.."

"Don't worry about it. Whoever nudged things to this, gave out the information to be used, among other things. Otherwise they wouldn't have placed it in our hands. Or they aren't worried about what we would do with it. You could look at it as a very unusual type of prophecy."

"What will you be doing?"

"I have until dawn, remember. There are things that I have to do, places to go, and people to see." she trails off barely loud enough for them to hear "Especially if I am to free myself from that damned bargain I was forced into."


	4. Resolutions and Revalations

Saturday, November 1, 1997

The sun rose into crept into the sky, it's rays sweeping over the town recovering from the chaos of the night before. It peered into the windows of Giles' flat, spying upon Xander sleeping peacefully upon the couch and Giles upstairs in his bed. Angel is pacing in his apartment, wondering and confused over the night's events and revelations. Cordelia lies buried in her bed, oblivious to the world. Joyce stands on the porch watching the sunrise as she transforms back to her human appearance, bound once more into a merely human shell. And upstairs in Buffy's bed, the light spies upon two young women, their limbs entwined as they sleep, pressed close to each other.

Joyce walks inside and goes upstairs. On her way to her bedroom, she checks in on the girls.

Seeing them wrapped up puts a smile on her face. 'They'll panic when they wake up. I'll have to corner them about it later. They can't let this break them apart. She's better for her then Angel.'

* * *

The smell of food cooking slowly drew her slowly to wakefulness. As she woke, she became aware of things out of the ordinary. The warm body in her arms. The arms wrapped around her.

The feelings of skin to skin contact in places she didn't think possible.

They opened they eyes together, gazing into each others eyes. As they finally became aware of the situation they pull away from each other.

Willow blushes as she squeaks out "Eep!"

Buffy lightly blushes also and begins to disentangle from her best friend.

As they become aware of the memories of the night before, their blushes spread.

"We really did ah... did it last night." Willow squeaks out, her voice rising into higher.

"We did. . . We really did."

* * *

Spike limps slowly into the lair, his left leg frozen straight. As he sits on the bed beside Drusilla, a soft grunt escapes. He reaches out to brush the hair out of her sleeping face. At his touch, she sits up, her eyes wide. She grabs him and holds him tightly.

"Everything changed, Spiky, hidden behind a curtain of gold. It's all twisted and confused. Miss

Edith is all frightened of the nasty gold shadows."

"What shadows, luv?" his concern clear as he pulls her against him and holds her there.

"Only three remember. The nasty shadows only want three to know."

* * *

Willow comes down the stairs, hoping to avoid Joyce. Just thinking of the night before is enough to cause her to turn red. But as she reaches to open the door for her escape.

"Willow. There you are. I've got chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast."

"Thank you for the invitation but I'mnotreallyhungryandI'vegottogethomeanddohomeworkI'vegoneahugereport todoandmyparentsareexpectingmeandIreallyreallydon'twanttostay."

"Willow, breath. It's fine. Your parents told me that they were called away. They had to go to Dallas. They said that they'll be back in a couple of weeks." she walks over to Willow and puts her arm around her shoulder and starts to walk her toward the kitchen. "You're really upset about last night and are trying to slip out and avoid the issue."

"But.. But ." Willow breaks down in Joyce's arms. The distraught young woman breaks into tears, devastated by the events of the night before, the fear of losing her best friend and the abandonment by her parents at such a traumatic time.

Joyce says nothing, just changing direction and pull Willow into the living room. Sitting on the sofa, she pulls Willow down and lets her sob uncontrollably, acting on her mothering instincts.

Five minutes later, Buffy comes down the stairs,. Looking into the living room, she sees Joyce comforting Willow on the sofa. "What's bothering her?" she asks, speaking softly so as not to disturb Willow.

Joyce looks up and smiles. "Her parents are off to Houston and she's upset about last night. I returned this morning just before sunrise. I stayed outside to watch . When I came in, I stopped to look in on you before I changed."

Buffy's embarrassment at her mom's words gives Joyce a gleam a amusement that shines in her eyes. "But mom." she wails, attracting the attention of her red headed friend.

"Girls. You two will have to face this sooner or later. And it will be easier in the long run if you do it sooner rather then later. Besides you two are going to be here for lunch with Mr. Giles and Xander. But it can wait until after we've eaten."

"This is giving me the wiggins, mom. Last night and you."

"Me?"

"How much do you remember about last night?'

"I remember everything from last night. Last night I knew my entire past. Today, I just remember my life. I did, however, leave myself a journal on how to free the rest of my memories and other things that I will need to know. Why?"

"What are you? And what does that make me?"

"Ah."

"What does that mean, Mrs. Summers?" as she looks up with her tear stained face.

"Willow, after this, you can call me Joyce or mom if you prefer. Buffy, Did I ever talk to you about your real mother?"

"Real mother? What are you talking about?"

"I thought that you knew. We never intended to keep it a secret. We just never really talked about it." She looks at Buffy. "Willow, dear, are you ready for breakfast?"

"I think so Mrs. Sum. . ." At Joyce's stern look, she shifts "Joyce."

"So lets go to the kitchen and eat and we will discuss the events of last night."

They adjourn to the kitchen where they fill plates with pancakes and sausage, Willow and Buffy begin to eat Joyce resumes.

"Just before you first birthday, Buffy, you and your mother were involved in a traffic accident. She passed away from her injuries. I was a friend of hers then. We were both in our final years at UCLA at the time. She had been married to Hank for two years at the time and we were devastated. I started to help take care of you then and over the next year, became close to Hank. We were married shortly after your second birthday and I legally adopted you then."

"So I'm not your daughter?"

"Maybe not by blood, but that's not the most important thing. What is important is the connections we make with our hearts. And to my heart, you will always be my daughter."

"Ah mom, enough with the mush."

"Very well. Now it's your turn. How long have you been a Slayer?"

"How did you find out?"

"Last night, I could see auras. The signs of a Slayer is unmistakable if you know what you're looking at. And apparently I did."

"I was called when I was fifteen. You remember when I started getting into trouble?" She waits for Joyce who nods. "That was when. It all started with these weird dreams. And then this guy shows up. He was Merrick, my first watcher. He told me what I was and then he showed me. After that. . ." Buffy briefly highlights her life as the Slayer while eating breakfast. Joyce frowns at some of the things she says but doesn't say anything. After a half hour, broken by the food that they eat, she wraps up her story.

Joyce looks on silently, taking in everything Buffy had said and how she had said it. The talk of the Watchers Council bothered her, that some group in England would try to run a girls life without regard for the human girl that the slayer was first and foremost.

As the food was finished and the dishes move to be washed, Joyce looks at the two girls. "It's time."

"Time for what?" Willow asks, signs of panic starting to show.

"About what happened last night."

"Oh." Buffy also starts to show signs of panic.

"Relax girls. I'm not going to get mad or judgmental. It's just that the two of you need to confront the matter and not let it destroy your friendship. First things first. Buffy, do you blame

Willow for anything last night?"

"No."

"Willow, do you blame Buffy for last night?"

"No."

"You're both confused and worried over it. Remember, you weren't in control last night. I know you are going to have a lot of questions over it, but I'll be here for both of you if you need to talk. Just don't let it fester. Okay?'

Buffy asks "That's it?'

"Yep. That's it. Now it's up to you." Joyce begins to wash the dishes as the girls drift off, lost in their thoughts. ' I hope that it resolves soon.'

* * *

Lunch was approaching. Giles and Xander are due soon. Willow is in Buffy's room, thinking over the recent changes in her life. Buffy is downstairs, helping Joyce with the preparations for lunch, keeping busy while she starts to deal with the events of last night and the revelation that her mother had unveiled at breakfast.

The door bell rings and Joyce goes to answer. Upon opening the door, Buffy hears a gasp from her mom. Curious, she walks out to see what it's about. She looks at the person standing there in stunned surprise. "Willow, come here now! There's someone here you need to see!" she yells, not moving her eyes at the apparition standing at the door.

Willow rouses from her contemplation of life and goes down the stairs. Overcome by curiosity at Buffy's surprised expression, she continues down until she sees the person entering the house. She rushes down the stairs and throws herself into his arms, giving him a crushing hug "Jesse!" she yells as her long time friend stands there confused.

Willow drags Jesse into the living room and to the couch asking questions at a mile a minute.

Buffy follows and sit across from them as Jesse drops his backpack at the end of the couch.

A short time later, there is another knock at the door. Buffy goes to open it revealing Giles carrying a bag accompanied by Xander. They enter and start for the living room. As Xander looks at Willow chattering away with a guy. A moment of stunned surprise, he too cries out "Jesse!"

"Man, it's good to see you too but why are you so surprised? I mean just because you three got sucked into kiddie patrol by Synder doesn't mean it's an apocalypse."

"Yes. Quite right. Xander, Willow, we're here to discuss the ramifications of last night."

"But G-man, Jesse died! I had to dust him at the Harvest."

"I remember that too, Giles. One of my best friends died and Buffy went into the sewers to try and save him."

"Dudes, what are you talking about?"

Joyce appears at the entrance and looks in "We may have just found one result of last night."

"Of course!" Giles draws everyone's attention to himself. "The four of you were under the effects until dawn. It stands to reason that you four might be aware of any major changes."

Buffy looks up and gasps "I remember it!" She takes a moment and continues "I remember the last nine months with Jesse helping out. I also remember him dying and gone for the last nine months."

Willow and Xander search their memories and announce the same.

Willow then pops up with "Who's Dawn?"

"Buffy's younger sister, Willow. You've helped. . . Wait. . . You mean that she's new also, isn't she?'

"Yep. Kinda like Jesse. In the memories with Jesse, she exists. In the Jesse died time line, no trace of her."

"So I get a brand new eleven year old sister. Anyone else popping up?"

"We'll most likely find out when one of you remembers or encounter such a person." He opens his bag and removes a sword and the zat. Carefully setting them on the table, He looks up "These are real. This zat, I believe you call it, seems to work."

"Just not as it should. Remember what I said last night?" At the girls nods, he continues "One shot is supposed to stun, two shots kill and three disintegrate. This thing disintegrates on the sixth shot. We haven't tested it for killing."

"That's not all. The sword Xander picked up seems to retain it's enchantment. It bursts into a nearly invisible flame when held. I've also checked the spear. It appears to be forged entirely of darksteel. I was wondering where you found it."

"That was the one that appeared from out of nowhere. The metal guy that star trekked in."

"Star trekked in?"

"She means that the thing appeared in a column of light. Remember that place we swung be where the pavement was eaten away at?"

"You mean that somebody actually summoned the creature that used it?"

"They must have G-man. Is it important?"

"Who was it?"

"One of the football team. Larry was the pirate and Percy had the zat. The guy with them. I didn't see his face. Just heard his voice."

"We need to pay attention. It's possible that having used the spell, he may remember how to cast it again."

As Buffy leaves the room, Giles turns to Joyce "You seem to be taking this well."

"Last night, I could remember tens of thousands of years of history. I can still remember pieces. For example, I remember when Atlantis sank and the destruction of the kingdoms of Valusuia and Thule. That cataclysm occurred roughly twenty thousand years ago. Last night, I understood why and what. I may not recall the reasons but at least I know there are reasons. Now, I remember bits and pieces. My powers are sealed once more but I know how to release them. But for now, I am only as capable as a normal human."

Buffy returns with the swords Willow and her used the night before. She hands them to Giles and he examines them.

"This one," holding up the shorter one, is darksteel. You said that this came from the summoner last night."

"Yeppers Giles. And I used last night. It was cutting into everything that I hit."

"Thank you, Willow. That does seem to be the primary benefit of these weapons. One can use them to cut through steel plate if one has enough strength." He sets it down and examines the other blade. "This one seems to be enchanted. A moderate strength increasing it's sharpness and strength." He looks up "These weapons aren't very powerful but considering the value of any such weaponry, we should only use these when necessary." He hands the weapons back to Buffy.

"That leaves me then. Jesse pulls his bag out and sets in on the coffee table. Opening it, he removes a rifle like weapon. "This is a laser carbine in working condition. Unfortunately I emptied the power cell last night so it's kind of useless unless someone can figure out how to recharge it.. On the other hand, I found these in my pack after I woke up on the street last night" He pulls two cases out, each about twelve by nine be three inches. Opening one, he shows the group what appears to be a futuristic tool kit. "These are repair kits, one for electronics and the other one mechanical. They were real when I woke up outside of the costume shop after someone shot me." He looks at Xander.

"Wait, you were the wolf guy?"

"Yep. I was a Vargr corsair from a star traveling universe with empires spanning hundreds of light years. Aside from knowing how to maintain the systems of my ship, I don't remember much else though."

"Well Will? Who were you?"

"I was a member of a small secretive mercenary team called the Knight Sabers. We used powered armor suits to fight androids and combat machines in Tokyo. Our main opponent were black ops missions of an international corporation named Genom. I was the assault specialist for the team. As a side note, I also sang professionally with a band."

"My turn. After seven years of helping Buffy, I ended up joining the Air Force. I was assigned to a top secret program defending the Earth from aliens. We traveled to other planets by what we called a star gate."

"That leaves me. Isabella Rosellinia was born in 1659 in Tuscany of a Spanish father and a local girl. Her grandfather taught her how to use a sword. In 1676, she was charged by the church for witchcraft. She fled the country to France where she meet Rebecca who was called a year later after the two had become very close. A year later, Rebecca was called and survived for the three years. She died shortly after turning nineteen. Isabella drifted after that, eventually becoming a spy for the Dutch."

"Interesting. Everyone became some sort of warrior. Uh, Mrs Summers, you said that you know how to release your powers. If you were to succeed, what would your goals be, if I may inquire?"

"My goals have always been the same. Take care of my family. Live my life, taking on only those responsibilities that I so chose and keeping the world from sticking their noses into my life and telling me what to do. Oppose those that would enslave others."

"So Mrs. Summers. Uh, what guarantee is there if we, uh, I mean to say. . "

"Mom. What Giles is trying to ask is what would you do if we helped you."

"One thing is certain. When I reclaim my powers, you will get more powerful. And if you wished, we could set it up so that the increased power goes to your friends as well."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Do you know why slayers are always female?" At their questioning looks, she smiles. "Rupert,

do you know how the first slayer came to be?"

"No one knows."

"I do. I was there. There were three shamans who came to me and begged a boon. I agreed. They took a young girl who had volunteered and the five of us performed a great work of magic. We linked a portion of my essence into the girl granting her a portion of my powers. In exchange, I could no longer by slain unless she died first."

Giles starts at the revelation. "You mean that the slayer line has to be destroyed before you can be killed?"

"I do."

"So it's your doing that I've got this sucky destiny, Mom?" Buffy jumps to her feet.

"Sit down Buffy." At her mom's glare, she slowly sits back down. "It's not that simple. When I crafted the selection process, it was supposed to go to the one that first, could handle the power, and second, would survive longer with it. Then after about ten thousand years ago, the PTB got involved and trapped me as a human. If I hadn't of awoken last night, Joyce Summers would be dead within four years and I would be off into a new life. Then they tampered with the selection process until they chose which of those that can handle the power got chosen. I"ll have to regain my full power to reclaim the right of selection back. Of course you're the first to know that there isn't one line, there are two." She stands and watches the surprise and shock that comes on their faces as that bit of trivia sinks in.

""Mrs. Summers?" Willow pauses to clear her throat "What do you mean, two lines?"

"I discovered that even the fraction of my power that I loaned out was to hard to control for most girls of the time. So I split the power. One girl got the physical aspects, the strength, speed and stamina. The other line receives the mystical might, the gift of magic if you will. This second line has been ignored for the most part." She looks a Giles, a grim smile on her face. "It's fairly easy to control a warrior, some mind control or brain washing. But the same methods on the sorceress would pretty much prevent her from using her talents."

"Yes, I can see that. It takes a certain amount of self control and self confidence to work magic.

Mages can be aimed or channeled but to control one is very difficult indeed."

"If you're going to help, I need to find twelve things. Each is an orb or a pair of orbs that was entrusted to a different type of demon to guard. The orbs are between an inch to two inches in diameter. If they're broken, they'll reform within a few years. There is a ritual that I can perform that will permanently break each seal."

"Do you have any idea of where these orbs are?"

"There is a set under the town guarded by the Nezzla clan. As for the rest, I'll make you a list." She smiles "Enough talk of demons and stuff. Is everyone ready for lunch?"

AN1) What they were and where they're from

Mandracore the Reaver First Dragonlance trilogy

Solder with zat Random NID Agent

Robed spell Caster Night Priest from Nightbane RPG

Skeletal Humanoid Hound from Nightbane RPG

Armored FigureDark Knight from Diablo

Pig faced being Orc axeman from varies RPGs

Demonic Figure Vincent from Final Fantasy VII

Jesse Traveler setting

Xander Other crossover fics

Willow Bubblegum Crisis anime

Buffy OC

Joyce Inspired by Lilith from Warrior Nun and Gold Digger comics


	5. Transitions

The immediate aftermath of the Halloween changes was complicated by the arrival of Buffy's one time crush, Billy Fordham. In the ensuing mess, Angel's efforts to keep secrets and his demands that Buffy trust him collided with the knowledge of his curse's loophole. Aggravating the situation was her discovery that she somehow become aware of any time a vampire used it's enthrallment upon her. And that whenever Angel was close to her, he was using it upon her. Needless to say, their relationship started to break down. For how could she trust her own feelings about a person who has been playing with her very emotions.

Buffy and Willow spent the first week avoiding being alone with each other while they dealt with the changes and events that had been forced upon them. Their confusion was dealt with and when Joyce asked Xander if he knew anything about the guy she was seeing, he remembered that Ted was a robot serial killer. After the bot had been reprogrammed at the end of the second week, Buffy gathered up her courage to ask Willow out. She accepted. This helped Xander realized that he and Buffy were never meant to be and he started moving forward.

The reveling of Jenny's true identity caused a minor fuss but when she convinced her people to tell her the details of the curse, the group accepted her in. Angel took the news in typical fashion, he brooded heavily about it. He also stopped trying to pursue Buffy, realizing that if he continued, he would unleash Angelus upon the world once more.

Giles, Jenny and Joyce talked about Joyce's past and uncovered that the Council had two of the binding orbs in their vaults. Of course, the Council refused to let the items out of their grasp. They also learned that Joyce was effectively only as capable as she was before Halloween. The only change was that her memories were returning. They had, armed with the knowledge of the Orbs of Nezzla'khan, began a search for the location where they were hidden.

Joyce had used her powers on Halloween to purchase a lottery ticket guaranteed to win. She planned on using the proceeds to aid Buffy in her calling. This tied into Buffy's realization that Willow and Xander had been chosen also and needed training to help them to survive also. Giles accepted her arguments and began a training program for them along with Jesse. Jenny began to teach Willow and the others in the basics of magic, Willow because of her potential power and the others for familiarity in the art. Joyce put Dawn into judo lessons.

Spike healed from the crippling knee injury that Buffy gave him while Drusillia moaned about the stars telling her bad things were coming.

The chaos surge had disrupted plans laid down millennium ago by the PTB in their finite wisdom. The balance had changed although none knew why. Prophecies unraveled and new ones were uncovered. Until two weeks after the event.

* * *

Buffy opens her eyes to what sounded like waves crashing along a rocky shore. She sits up and looks around, finding herself within a large bare chamber. One wall is filled with windows looking out upon a sea such as she has never even dreamed of. She stands up on her bare feet and looks at herself. She finds herself clothed only in a short tunic of some soft material she had never felt before the changed colors with her every movement. She walked over to the window and looked out over a sea of golden light. Occasionally, dark spheres could be seen, floating in the ever changing waves.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Universes drifting."

She jumped and spun at the unexpected voice, a voice at once powerful and inspiring and at the same time soft , seductive and, dare she say, sexy. Standing there is a woman about her height, clothed as she is bearing a sword on her back. Her metallic red hair shines in the golden light, contrasting with her tanned skin. But it is her eyes that draw Buffy's attention, the eyes that shine gold just like the chaos outside. "Who are you?"

"So how do I look? I've never taken humanoid form before." she asks as she spins around.

"You're a dish."

"Good. As for who I am. I don't have a name as you would understand it. Think of me as your new patron being." She turns and looks out the window, silent for a minute.

"How?"

"You reached out for help and I answered."

"Why did you get involved?"

"Boredom. As you count time, I've spent eons watching the view sinking into the void of thought that heralds our kind's deaths. You've given me a stay of execution, if you will. And so I wish to return the favor. And you want to chose your own path. I will assist your efforts to do so."

"You're offering your help? What do you know about my situation?"

She turns toward Buffy. "The powers that drafted you aren't the just the good guys. They have more in common with demons then with humans. You see, demons can't change what they are, humans, among others, can. So the lesser demons look down on humans because they don't have the power or life span. The ones at the top are envious of your potential so they encourage it. The powers that hold sway in your world seek to keep humanity stagnant, enslaved."

"My world?" Buffy asks curiously.

"Other worlds closer in to balance have servants of light involved in the fight. As your mother once was before she chose her own path. Your world is to close to the dark realms for them to interfere."

"This is interesting but I doubt you called me here to just to chat."

"You're right." She turns to Buffy "First, the rings. The twelve share the same powers."

"Twelve? You mean there are more of these out there?"

"There will be. The only power they have now is to protect you from ranged attacks, bullets, arrows, lasers and such. You aren't immune, just highly resistant. They will, however, manifest three more abilities that will define themselves when you need them. As for the rings, even if your hand is cut off, you can call the ring back to you at your desire as long as you live. Connections forged to chaos can not be undone easily, not even by such as me."

"But why twelve?"

"You need companions, friends. I've seen the others, humans, who will be involved in your fight. The rings are to help keep them alive. To keep all of you alive longer."

"Longer?"

"No one I've met can guarantee the future. Those that claim to are untrustworthy."

"So what's the catch?"

"No catch. My kind are easily distracted so I'm giving you the benefits up front. The rest is up to you. If I have need of you, then I will ask for your assistance."

"So what does that mean for me?"

"You are unbound by the agreements of the powers as long as you work for me. And all that I ask is that you oppose those that seek to enslave others, in wordat least if not in deed."

Suddenly Buffy wakes with a start, the dream or encounter clear in her mind.


	6. Dreams

Willow stretches and slowly comes awake. The murmur of waves upon a sandy beach stirs her to wakefulness. The warmth of the sun beating down upon her contrasts with the hard yet smooth surface she lies upon. She opens her eyes to a chamber stretches as far as she can see, it's roof and a couple of walls visible as she looks around. A gigantic bay window looks upon a sea of golden swirls washing upon the gentle slope outside the window draws her to her feet. Dark colored spheres of many colors drift through the golden sea. A mild breeze causes her to look upon herself where she discovers that she is robed in a short tunic of some color shifting material that is soft to the touch.

"Hey ya."

A seductive voice breaks the utter silence, a voice warm and full of life startling Willow. She spins around, to see her. A woman stands beside her. Hair that shone like molten silver cascades down over a lightly tanned body dressed as she is. She bears a chain around her neck holding an orb of some crystal the size of Willow's fist. Golden eyes catch her attention, as golden as the sea outside.

"Who are you and where are we not that I wanna seem rude but this is strange and I just went to sleep or at least I thought I did but how did I get here I guess you must have brought me but where is here I mean you don't just wake up somewhere new someone has to take you there am I right?" Willow babbles until the strange woman's voice cuts through her babble with mild amusement.

"Ya sure can yak." She then walks around Willow, who stands there nervously ill at ease at the strange circumstances, appraising the red head carefully. "You're a better choice then I thought ya'd be."

"Huh. What do you mean by that?"

"You've a strong sense of duty to your friends, a keen mind and a thirst for knowledge, potential."

"Potential? Potential what?"

"Potential sorceress. Ya have an aptitude for magic and your friends have stepped in and begun teaching ya of the Art."

Willow relaxes a little and stiffens immediately at the power this being holds. "Not to be rude or anything but why am I here?"

"I wanted to see what got my friend roused from her slumber strongly enough for her to wake me. Your slayer friend has a link to the chaos sea, something very rare for a non native to have. And to give my share of the information ya need." She pauses for a moment. "Ya crave attention because of your parents neglect. Ya define your self worth by the opinion of those around ya. Ya seek power to bolster your own self worth. These'll cause ya problems in the future unless ya can start dealing with 'em now." She stops in front of Willow and looks her in the eyes. "If ya don't deal with these issues, then the magics will grow and consume ya and those ya care about." A moment of silence as the strange gazes intently into Willow's eyes. "I'm giving ya this wake up call because you're the one I've chosen to lead the other three of my chosen who'll join your group. This is a that price ya must to pay. Just remember this. I find ya worthy, not just of my aid, but of my respect. Don't disappoint me, Willow. Kay?"

"Is that it? Is that all that you have to tell me?"

"Each of ya will recruit the others. The rings will let ya know who has been picked. Ya need to build a team. Besides, the rest of your group has their own problems up here." She taps the side of her head. "Keeping yourselves together both mentally and emotionally will be a big problem, especially to start. But if ya start working on it now, then it won't be so bad later."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"None of ya know of the long term problems. And it is the duty of those of us that do to help those of ya that don't. Besides, I specialize in creation, the manipulation of matter, energies and life. I build things up. The one who was woken is a destroyer and our other companion specializes in time and existence. Now wake."

Willow wakes. She sits up and looks around her bedroom, the memories unfading of her experience. "The guys won't believe this." she says to herself.

* * *

Xander slowly becomes aware of the howling wind. He sits up and looks around. His gaze is drawn to the nearly transparent wall and the scene beyond. He stands and walks over to it. He rests one hand on the wall as he takes in the view. What appear to be light golden clouds swirl and carry dark spheres through dark golden spires reaching for the heights.

The sound of footsteps echo through the room. Xander catches a glimpse of himself in the nearly transparent wall. He finds himself in a loose pair of sorts and a tee of a dark shimmering material. The strange man behind him is dressed in a suit of the same material with a shield slung over his left shoulder. Hair like molten copper pours shines in the light.

"Welcome to my humble home, Xander."

"Gaa..." as he jumps away.

"Very. . . . courageous of you."

"You know me. I'm the one that talks the talk and then runs and hides."

"Not when someone you care about is in danger. You run on the ruthless side then."

"So who are you?"

"I'm the one that choose you and Giles and two others."

"Me and Giles? I can understand him but why me?"

"You're the heart, the one who lightens the stress with a bad joke."

"What is it, pick on Xander day?"

"Why not?" He smiles and Xander relaxes at the joke. "Sorry, couldn't resist. But seriously you're willing to use extreme measures to keep those close to you safe. You stick to those commitments despite the cost to yourself. And someone needs to keep Giles from telling the council to much about what's happening with you."

"Why. I thought the council was the good guys."

"They are, at least at the lower levels. The ruling body is controlled by beings that don't have humanities best interests at heart. They just use a different set of minions. If they discover your presence to quickly, it will cause you a lot of problems. The prophecy of the twelve foretells a chance for humans to gain a better hold on their own future. Your foes want to use humanity as aa race of pawns in their own games."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"The three of us are each visiting one of you three. We can't tell you much with out making your mission a lot more dangerous, At least until the twelve are together. We have placed certain tools and retreats within your grasp, you just have to explore them fully and make use of hte resources. We've done everything we can for now."

Xander pauses and looks at him, wondering just what those words mean as he looks around, finding himself once more in his bed as the alarm begins to sound.


	7. Dreams Revealed

ANotes: I appreciate the feedback.

_First hint: the twelve are champions of humanity, and one requirement is that they must be human._

_Dilvish: I pictured Buffy having a problem with blind obedience to the rules that the council seems to want. She will listen to authority figures who earn her respect. Second, the powers wanted her dead at the end of season one so that Angelus wasn't freed. Third, Buffy's link to chaos isn't just her outlook. It's a connection that, under stressful situations, allow her to pull power from chaos. The Buffy in Joshua The Evil Guy's Champions of the Universe probably has such a connection._

* * *

Thursday, November 20, 1997

Giles turns a corner by the library ready to open it to the student body when he notices that Buffy, Willow and Xander are waiting by the doors for him. "Why are you three here so early?"

"Dreams, G-man, dreams." Xander pops up first.

Willow cuts him off. "I had a dream or a vision last night so I thought that I'd come in early and talk to you about it. Imagine my surprise when these two" She gestures with her thumb. "Show at the same time with their own visions."

"And they all seem to be loosely related to the events of Halloween." Buffy finishes.

"Alright. I'll put on the kettle and then you can tell me about them."

They make their way to the table and wait for Giles to return, gathering their thoughts. When he did, Buffy began her tale. She tells of the goals of the powers as she was told, their desire to keep humanity chained. She recounts the information on the rings, that there will be twelve of them and the power that they have and that three lay undefined until the need rises. That she needs companions and friends, people who will get involved in the fight. And the thought that nothing about the future is set in stone.

Willow goes next. She reveals that she is a potential sorceress. The link Buffy has to the Chaos sea and the comments on her own problems along with the warning about what will happen if she doesn't deal with it. Xander's comments about her almost ending the world spring to every bodies mind. Willow then goes on to tell that the three of them will lead and recruit the other three that each chaos god had chosen. A last warning that all of them have problems that they need to deal with and the sooner they start, the less of a problem later. She then reveals that the one she spoke with call itself a specialist in creation, the one that was woken is a destroyer and the third deals in time.

Xander rounds it out. He says that the one he spoke to said he choose him, Giles and two others. He passes the warning about the council to the group. The mention of the prophecy of the Twelve brings Giles face up for the notes he's been taking. And the being's last words, that certain tools and retreats have been placed within their grasp and that they must explore fully and take advantage of them causes much thought.

"Some of the tools we're got are those tool kits that Jesse wound up with after Halloween." Willow says.

"How about the weapons that stayed real also. They're tools we can use." Xander replies.

"That's true. But it doesn't explain the retreats bit."

"Then we need to do some exploring. We'll get everyone together and go look at Ted's place just as soon as we can get rid of him. Especially if mom can inherit everything. At the least, it gives us a base away from the school." Buffy comments. "Any other places come our way?"

"None that I'm aware of." Giles comments.

"Then that seems the most likely place to start looking." She looks at Willow. "How soon can we get rid of Ted ?"

"Another week or so."

"Then we'll start searching the place the first free weekend we have afterwards, kay?"

"You really think there's something there?"

"Hey, you're the one that was told about the retreats. Besides, it'll tell us if they're lying to us and they do seem to imply that we can't trust the powers or the council."

"Alright." Xander looks at Giles. "Anything you want to mention?"

"Actually there is." He removes the newspaper from his bag and unfolds it on the table. "Xander, do you remember a Donnie or a Beth MaClay?"

"The only MaClay I remember is a Tara. Why?"

"According to the paper, there was a traffic accident on Highway 17. The father was killed instantly will the son, Donnie was critically injured as was a cousin Beth. There is mention a fourth person in the truck but no name is given. There is however a photo taken of the scene."

"Can I see it?"

"Here." Giles slides the paper over to Xander who looks at the picture.

"That's her. Tara MaClay, one time future girl friend of Willow and a talented and practicing white witch. Hey, you want to go meet her, Wills?"

Willow hides behind her hair as she mumbles about having plans while her cheeks turn red.

"What's going on Wills?" Xander teases, knowing that she'll tell him sooner or later.

"I've got a date." she mumbles, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh." He raises an eyebrow. "And just who is it?"

She just glares at him, blushing furiously.

"And how are things on the Angel front? I heard you talking about your date an Saturday. Huh Buffy?"

"Angel and I aren't seeing each other. Since the aftermath of Halloween, I've been reexamining the whole relationship. And then there's the curse thing too."

"No more Angel?" Xander jumps up and starts to do the snoopy dance before he comes to his senses. "Uh, sorry." He sheepishly takes his seat.

"Ah, so you decided that you couldn't be with him. I'm sorry, Buffy." Giles expresses, a look of sympathy evident.

"I realized that I couldn't trust my own feelings with him."

"Huh? Why?" Xander gapes.

"The demon Angelus was using his mojo to make me believe that I was falling for him. Angel was horrified when I told him why. And then the loophole was double checked. We decided that it was for the best."

"So you talked it over with him?" Giles gently inquires.

"So who's the new hottie, then?"

"Well, they're smart, gorgeous and fun to be with." She smirks at him. "And they have a great personality."

"Well tell me, please. Will and I can tell you all their flaws."

Willow looks up and speaks "You tell her anything about my flaws and you'll regret it, buster."

"Ah c'mon. You like to . . ." He trails off as her words sink in. "You and Buffy? Buffy and you?"

"Ahem." Giles clears his throat, drawing every ones attention. He removes his glasses and polishes them. "It seems that some of the changes are a bit more permanent then we thought. Still that's no reason to slack off of your duties."

"I know. Tomorrow is delivery day at the hospital. We'll all meet there and then Saturday after the makeup class, Wills and I have our first date." She looks up at the clock. "Uh, time for class. See ya after school Giles. Oh, reminder, lunch, my place, Sunday. Mom wants be caught up with everything that's going on. And Dawn will be at a friends." The three of them leave for class as Giles nods his acceptance.

* * *

Some where else in the near infinite dimensions, a meeting is being held. A meeting of beings of shadow and light.

"Something is happening."

"Three chaos gods have roused themselves from their death slumber."

"They have touched this world."

"We must deal with it."

"The changes are shielded."

"We shall send a fixer."

"Agreed."

* * *

The mountains of Tibet. An ancient tomb hidden for millenniums. Rocks suddenly crack and fall revealing a recently excavated tunnel. A person walks into the tomb and walks to the ancient skeleton that dissipates to dust in the air flow. He picks up a shaft about three feet long the color of fresh blood and smiles. He leaves and as he walks outside the tunnel, a dozen staving men are forced into the tomb. Explosives are set off sealing the men within the tomb. The person looks around, revealing shark like teeth set in a large mouth against the dark skin. "I have the first piece." He speaks into a microphone.

"Payment will be transferred to your accounts now. Any leads on the other pieces?" comes from the speaker.

"I've got good possibilities on two more. And with this piece, the rest should be easy to find."

"Our client would be upset if we fail. And Wolfram and Hart clients of this level."

"I understand."


	8. Future Plans

_AN: This take place after The Dark Age. The next Chapter begins this universes version of What's My_ _Line. It starts close to cannon but drifts off._

* * *

Sunday, November 23, 1997

Xander walked up to the front door of the Summers residence and knocked on the door before opening it. As he does so, a high pitched squeal sounds and a dark haired figure rushes out of the door, flinging itself onto him. He grabs the young girl and engulfs her in a hug. "How's my little Dawnster today?"

"Great. I'm going to the movies with Janice." She gushes.

He walks in with Dawn and calls out "Hey Mrs. Summers."

She replies from the kitchen "Hi Xander. You're here early."

"Just wanted to check in on my favorite Summers women."

"You scallywag." A car horn beeps from out front. "Is it them, Dawn?"

Dawn shrieks back "They're here!"

"Take care and be good."

"Right mom." She yells back just before she rushes out the door.

"Kids these days." she comments.

Xander heads into the kitchen. "So, how's Buffy and Willow doing?"

"I sent Buffy to the store. They postponed their date after the events of yesterday. They're doing something this afternoon." Joyce takes a look careful look at him. "Are you upset about them."

"It's a surprise. I mean I knew Willow would discover she was gay. I just never expected Buffy to be anything but straight. I know we never would have gotten together, but still, it kinda hurts."

"I understand. How about your parents?"

He looks at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I've noticed your bruises and I know that some of them aren't from your patrols with Buffy or your lessons. Now how did you get them?"

Xander turns and looks out the window. "My father." He spits out "you know my parents are drunks. Usually it's just the yelling and the constant insults but occasionally, my father surprises me and gets physical with me. Please don't tell anyone." He begs, hot tears of shame running down his face.

"On one condition." She walks up behind him and draws him into a motherly hug. "You ever need a place to sleep, you can come here, even if it's just to get away. I told Willow, a while back to call me Joyce or mom. You will call me either also. And we will see about getting you out of that place." Her tone brooking no argument.

"Okay." After a couple of minutes like that, he finally regains control of himself and pulls away. "Thanks, Mrs. Summers."

"I told you, Joyce or mom."

"Okay, m. . mom."

"That's better. You know that sometimes, the kid that's abused will try to protect their abusers in effort to get the love that they need. Just think about it."

* * *

The rest of the group arrives over the next half hour and pass the time with small talk. 

Willow shows up last, apologizing for her tardiness. "I was just leaving when the phone rang. It was my parents. They're arriving this afternoon , Buffy. I'm sorry." She looks at her best friend who nods in understanding. "They're returning from Texas and want me home when they get there."

"We'll make it our next free evening." Buffy replies.

Jesse slides up to the now composed Xander and whispers "What was that about?"

"Buffy and Willow are going on a date as a couple." He whispers back, not noticing the slack jawed expression that sweeps across Jesse's face or that Buffy can make out what he's saying.

"Alright, time to start this thing. The food is ready, help yourself. We'll discuss things while we eat." Joyce announces.

They start filling plates and taking their places.

The first topic covered are the dreams, which are described and discussed amongst the group. The fate of Ted is planned so that Joyce can inherit the robot's estate. And on that note, Joyce brings up a topic.

"You know that you're going to need a headquarters eventually."

Giles looks up. "What do mean, Mrs Summers?"

"Well, in a couple of years, high school will be over. It makes sense to start thinking about housing, classes and income. You are being recruited for a war, which means setting up your logistics. For instance, how do modern weapons affect vampires and demons? What does different ammo types actually do. Jesse." He looks up "Have you been able to recharge the laser?"

"Somewhat. I've managed to jury rig a charger but it takes time to actually recharge the power cell."

"So what kind of affect does it have on vampires? Do you need it at full power?"

"I don't know. We could test it on patrol."

"Xander. Do firearms work well enough to risk the attention they'll draw from the cops and others?"

He pauses and thinks about it for a moment before answering, shifting unconsciously into the manner of the experienced soldier of Halloween. "Depends on the situation. The less people around, the less problems. And then there's the collateral damage. If you miss, even if you hit with a high powered weapon, the bullets can still carry through walls and cause some serious injuries blocks away" He looks around. "We might want to familiarize ourselves with them just in case some one uses them on us though."

"But your rings protect you." Jenny comments, wonderingly.

Buffy speaks up. "They only protect those of us who have one. You, Giles, Jesse, mom and Dawn don't have one. Giles, at least will be getting one but until then." She shrugs her shoulders. "Are you willing to take the risk of an arms race? And what of future slayers? And bystanders?"

"I see your point."

Willow speaks up "There are a few things that we can do, holy water filled squirt guns and balloons, that can't be used against us."

"But they would affect Angel." Giles points out.

"We convince him to get a diving suit to protect himself from splashes and hits. He can wear it under his clothes." She looks at Joyce "How's the armor research coming?"

"For now, the best I can do is get you some leather jackets and maybe pants. Kevlar isn't much for close combat and the inserts are out of reach for now. Mr. Giles, anything you can get through the council?"

"I would avoid telling the council or even hinting anything about this. They have a plans to try to kill the twelve as soon as they can determine whom they are. My being chosen as one of the twelve lends a certain desire for survival to my thinking."

"That may be one reason you were chosen. But with any luck, we won't have to worry about them until my crucimentium."

"How did you find out about that, Buffy?"

"Isabella was with Rebecca when she went through hers, Giles."

"Quite right. I should have realized that. I believe that I have determined another of the twelve. A Miss Tara MaClay."

"Why her?"

"Her father died in an automobile accident yet according to Xander, he arrived in town on her twentieth birthday in an effort to convince her return home."

Joyce looks at the group Jenny and Jesse. "I wouldn't be surprised if you two are part of the twelve." At their confused looks she explains. "Both of you are aware of them. Jesse may have been returned to life and picked up some useful skills. Jenny's secret has come out early also."

The group although startled by the idea, accepts the possibility. And makes an inquiry of Joyce. "Have you managed to locate the orbs you need?"

"I know where to look. As you know, the council has two. They've been using them to anchor their mystic defenses. Three are held by both by Wolfram and Hart in LA and the Vatican. One lies under Sunnydale, one in Japan, Australia and the last in Antarctica.

* * *

In a vault under the Vatican, an angelic figure materializes vin a shimmer of glittering lights. The priest taking inventory stops his work. After a moment, the priest goes to a small box and opens it, revealing one set of orbs. He points out two other boxes. The being takes the orbs and disappears from sight, fading into a shadow that shrinks to a vertical line. 

The priest makes his way to inform his superiors of the visit.


	9. What's My line, A New Beginning

Monday, November 24, 1997

Sunnydale High School. The career fair is going on in the lounge. Willow comes into the hall from outside and looks around at the colorful displays being set up on her way to sign up for the career aptitude test. Buffy and Xander are already sitting at a table filling out their tests.

Xander reads aloud "'Are you a people person, or do you prefer keeping your own company?' Well, what if I'm a people person who keeps his own company by default?"

As Willow heads for their table with a test to join them, Buffy remarks "So, mark none of the above."

"Well, there are no boxes for none of the above. That would introduce too many variables into their mushroom head, number-crunching little world."

Willow sits beside Buffy and comments "I'm sensing some bitterness."

"No, it's just these people can't tell from one multiple-choice test what we're gonna be doing for the rest of our lives. It's ridiculous!"

Willow smiles "I'm kinda curious to find out what sort of career I could have."

"What, and suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid? I'd rather live in the dark."

"You're not gonna be young forever."

Buffy looks up at him seriously. "And you're definitely not stupid. How many stupid people have your military knowledge?"

Xander gives her an acknowledging yet thoughtful grin, then looks up when he hears Cordelia. She has a clipboard, and is taking her test as she walks into the lounge accompanied by two of her groupies.

Cordelia marks her test. "'I aspire to help my fellow man.' Check. As long as he's not smelly, dirty or something gross." as she walks by the table.

Xander "Cordelia Chase, always ready to give a helping hand to the rich and the pretty."

Cordelia "Which, lucky me, excludes you. Twice."

Xander waits until Cordelia and sheep have walked off. "Is murder always a crime?"

Buffy "Do I like shrubs?"

Xander can't resist. "That's between you and your god."

"Mine is neutral. She likes trees, though. Yours, I can't say." Buffy responds before asking Willow "What'd you put?"

"I came down on the side of shrubs. Besides, mine likes em too."

"Okay! Go with shrubs!" She sighs in frustration. "Uhhh! I shouldn't even be bothering with this. It's all mootville for me. No matter what my aptitude test says, we already know my deal."

Xander "Yup, high risk, sub-minimum wage..."

Buffy "Pointy wooden things..."

Willow "Then why are you even taking the test?"

Buffy "It's Principal Snyder's hoop of the week. He's not happy unless I'm jumping. Believe me, I would not be here otherwise."

Willow "You're not even a teensy weensy bit curious about what kinda career you could've had? I mean, if you weren't already the Slayer and all."

Buffy "Do the words 'sealed in fate' ring any bells for you, Will? Why go there?"

Willow is hurt by that comment while Xander shakes his pencil at her. "You know, with that kind of attitude you could've had a bright future as an employee at the DMV."

"I'm sorry, it's just... unless Hell freezes over and every vamp in Sunnydale puts in for early retirement, I'd say my future is pretty much a non-issue."

"Your future is as much a non-issue as mine or, or Xander's. You're not the only one with a calling anymore." Willow puts on her resolve face.

"You're right, okay? It's just that I'm still stuck on the suckage that was my destiny. I'll deal, right? I just need time to get used to it."

"Darn tootin you will." she responds just as Jesse walks up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Ah taking the tests."

"Hey man. Where's your's?"

"Finished and returned." Jesse plops down. "So how goes the works of the chosen ones today?"

* * *

Spike's warehouse. Drusilla is standing at one end of a large table dealing her tarot cards. At the other end Spike is looking on as Dalton tries to translate the ancient text in the book that they stole from the library.

"Read it again."

Dalton shrugs with his hands. "Well, I'm not sure. It could be, uh... deprimere... ille... bubula... linter."

Spike paging through a dictionary. "Debase, the beef, canoe." Dalton looks up at Spike and smiles idiotically. Spike punches him in the face. "Why does that strike me as not right?"

Dalton looks at him sheepishly and turns his attention back to the book.

Drusilla holds out her hand "Spike, come dance?"

Spike angrily retorts "Give us some peace, would you? Can't you see I'm working?"

Drusilla pulls back her hand and begins to pout and whine like a puppy.

Spike goes to her. "Oh, I'm sorry, kitten. It's just this manuscript. Supposed to hold your cure, but it reads like gibberish. E-even Dalton here, the big brain, he can't make heads or tails of it."

Drusilla puts her hand to her head. "I... I, I need to change Miss Edith." She takes a few steps and then puts her other hand to her head as well, bends over and whines. Spike rushes to her, puts his arms around her and pulls her back up.

Spike sits her down and crouches in front of her. "Oh, forgive me. You know I can't stand to see you like this. We're runnin' out of time. It's that bloody Slayer! Whenever I turn around she's muckin' up the works."

Drusilla tries to comfort him back "Shh. Shh. You'll make it right. I know. Just don't upset mommy."

Spike puts his hands around her neck and kisses her gently but firmly. After they release their kiss he stands up again and turns his attention back to Dalton. Drusilla reaches for the next tarot card.

Spike walks around the table "Well. Come on, now. Enlighten me."

Dalton: "Uh, well, it looks like Latin, but it's not. I-I'm not even sure it's, it's a language, actually, I..."

"Then MAKE IT A LANGUAGE! Isn't that what a transcriber does!"

"Well, not exactly..." He yelps as Spike grabs him by the shirt and lifts him from his chair.

"I want the cure."

Drusilla "Don't..."

"Why not? Some people find pain" as he punches Dalton in the stomach doubling him over "very inspirational."

Drusilla looks up from her cards "He can't help you." looks back at her cards "Not without..." points at a card "the key."

Spike: "The key? You mean this book is in some kind of code?"

"Yeah."

Dalton nods weakly, still in pain. Spike shoves him back into his chair and walks over to Drusilla. He looks at one of her cards. A mausoleum is pictured on it. "Is that where we'll find this key?"

"Yeah!"

"I'll send the boys, pronto!"

Drusilla smiles "Now will you dance?"

Spike smiles and takes her hand "I'll dance with you, pet." He pulls her up from her chair and lifts her into his arms. "On the Slayer's grave!" as he starts to spin around with her in his arms.

* * *

Buffy walks through the cemetery at an easy pace. She pauses occasionally, but continues on, scanning the graveyard around her as she goes. Clinking noises coming from a mausoleum draw her attention. She looks at it and sees a light coming from within. She walks over to it, pushes the door open a bit and peeks in. Dalton is chipping away at the wall, exposing a chamber behind it. He reaches in for something as Buffy pulls her head back out and closes the door. She walks down the steps and turns around to wait for him to come out. A few moments later Dalton opens the door and steps out.

"Does 'rest in peace' have no sanctity to you people? Oh, I forgot. You're not a people."

Another vampire comes up behind her. She senses him, turns around and kicks him in the gut, then the jaw, then again in the gut. He takes a swing at her, but she grabs his arm and punches him twice in the face. He swings at her with his other arm, but she ducks and catches it, too. She yanks it back, and it can be heard snapping. While she has him leaning back she thrusts a stake into his heart. He explodes into ashes.

"One down,"Buffy turns and sees Dalton missing "one gone." She looks around, but sees no sign of him anywhere. She pulls a flashlight from her pocket and takes note of the name above the door just before the light flickers and goes out.

* * *

Buffy's house, the front porch. Angel is there, and he looks around while he waits for her to get home. Buffy climbs up the stairs. She sees him looking into the house. a word Buffy reaches for her bag and tosses it loudly onto the floor. Angel turns around, startled.

"Buffy! You scared me."

Buffy climbs up "Now you know what it feels like, Stealth Guy." She unlocks ths front door and they walk into the living room. She crouches down by her bag and reaches into her hair to pull out a few clips while he absent mindedly takes her stuffed pig from the couch.

"Just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Gordo?"

Angel's confusion is clear. "Excuse me?"

"The pig." as she opens the trunk and dumps the bag in.

"Oh. (chuckles) I, uh..."

"What's up? " as she walks to a chair.

"Nothing."

He tosses the pig onto a chair and walks to the couch. She drops her hair clips into a desk drawer and faces him.

"Only you don't have a nothing face. You have a something face. And you don't have to whisper. Mom's in L.A. till Thursday. Art buying, or something."

So. . " She trails off.

"I wanted to touch base. See how you're doing. Apologize for the enthrallment. See what's going on."

"Nothing much." A glance at his face tells her that he isn't buying it.

Buffy exhales. "Uh, we're having this thing at school."

"Career week?"

"How did you know?"

"I lurk."

She sits on the chair and curls her legs up. "Right. Well, then you know it's a whole week of 'what's my line', only... I don't get to play. Or at least I thought I didn't." She looks out the window.

"It's okay."

Buffy looks over at Angel "The Cliff Notes version? I kinda wanted a normal life. Like I had before. Now, I don't know. Possibilities are opening up for me, things I was afraid to even dream about."

"Before your calling."

"No, yes, Angel, I just get messed sometimes. I wish we could be regular kids. And yet, I can't turn my back now that I know. I wanted a normal life, now I just want some happiness."

"Yeah. I'll never be a kid. But I might be able to help a bit with the other." He can't help but let out a laugh. She smiles back. He sees a picture on the mantle and picks it up. It's of her as a child on ice-skates. "Was this part of your normal life?"

Buffy laughs and stands up "Oh, my God. My Dorothy Hamill phase. My room in L.A. was pretty much a shrine. Dorothy dolls, Dorothy posters, I even got the Dorothy haircut. Thereby securing a place for myself in the geek hall of fame."

"Hmm, you wanted to be like her?"

"I wanted to be her. My parents were fighting all the time, and skating was an escape. I felt safe."

"When was the last time you put on your skates?"

Buffy inhales "About a couple of hundred demons ago."

Angel stands and walks to the door "There's a rink out past Route 17, it's... closed on Tuesdays."

Buffy looks up at him "Tomorrow's Tuesday."

"I know. And you need to show her your life before slaying. I'll chauffeur."

"Okay. I'll call her and ask." She smiles at him. "Thanks, for doing this, for us."

"Hey. I have the hope that I might someday be human again, thanks to Xander. Besides, that's what friends are for."

"Oh. Could you do me a little favor? Could you take a look at the Du Lac mausoleum? I saw a vamp stealing something from it. I would have looked inside but my light just up and died."

"Sure thing Buffy. I'll call you afterwards."


	10. What's My Line, Surprises

Tuesday, November 25, 1997

Cordelia and Xander are going over the results of the career aptitude test posted on a bulletin board in the courtyard. She finds herself in the A-D list.

"Oh, here I am. 'Personal shopper or motivational speaker.' Neato!"

"Motivational speaker? On what? Ten ways to a more annoying you?"

She pages through the H-K list and finds Xander's results. "Oh, what about you? You're... " She giggles and leaves.

"What?" as he frantically looks himself up "What!"

* * *

A hall exit. Willow and Buffy come out and start across the quad.

"You and I are going skating? With Angel driving?"

"Unless some unforeseen evil pops up. But I'm in full 'see no evil' mode. And it was his suggestion."

"Us ice-skating." She smiles at the thought.

"I know. Two worlds collide."

Xander meets up with them followed seconds later by Jesse. "Wouldn't you two say you know me about as well as anyone else? Maybe even better than I know myself?"

Willow "What's this about?"

"When you look at me, do you think 'prison guard'?"

Willow, Buffy and Jesse giggle before Buffy answers "Um, crossing guard, maybe, but prison guard?" She shakes her head.

Xander "They just put up the assignments for the career fair, and according to my test results I can look forward to being gainfully employed in the growing field of corrections."

Buffy giggles. "Well, at least you'll be on the right side of the bars."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Laugh now, missy, they assigned you to the booth for law enforcement professionals."

Buffy is stunned. "As in police?"

"As in polyester, doughnuts and brutality."

Buffy whines.

Willow smiles and tries to cheer her up. "But, doughnuts!"

Buffy whines louder. "Well, I'll just jump off that bridge when I come to it." She spots Giles walking along with a tall stack of old books in his arms. "But First I have to deal with Giles. He's on this Tony Robbins hyper-efficiency kick. Expects me to check in every day after home room." She walks off after Giles. "The police?"

Xander starts to follow, but Willow holds him back. "You didn't check to see which seminar I was assigned to, did you?"

"How about me?" Jesse grabs his other arm.

"I did, and you weren't, Wills. Jesse, you're looking at a lifetime of early mornings, flour and hot ovens."

"Huh?" Jesse wonders.

"Bakery. You make the donuts and Buffy eats them, buddy."

"I wasn't what?" Willow asks.

"On the list."

"But I handed in my test! I used a number two pencil!"

"Then I guess you musta passed."

"It's not the kinda test you pass or fail."

"Your name wasn't up there, Will."

Willow is a bit taken aback and upset.

* * *

The library.

Giles walks to the table, balancing his armload of books. He carefully sets them down and leans forward a bit to much trying to straighten the stack, and they begin to fall over. He reacts quickly to try to stop them. "AH!"

Buffy puts her hand on top of the stack just as he does, and they push it back up. Giles exhales in relief while she sits. "Buffy. Thank you. I've been, uh, indexing the Watcher diaries covering the last couple of centuries. You would be amazed at how numbingly pompous and long-winded some of these Watchers were."

"Color me stunned."

"So, uh, I trust last night's patrol was fruitful?"

"Semi. I caught one out of two vamps after they stole something from this jumbo mausoleum."

"They were stealing?"

"Yeah! They had tools, flashlights, whole nine yards. What does that mean anyway? 'Whole nine yards'?" Giles begins to pace. "Nine yards of what? Now it's gonna bug me all day. Giles, you're in pace mode. What gives?"

"Um, this vampire who escaped, did you see what he took?"

"No, but I could take a guess and say it was something old."

"You made no effort to find out what was taken?"

"Have a cow, Giles! I just figured it was your everyday vamp hijinks."

"Well, what if it wasn't? This could be very serious! I mean, i-i-if you'd made an effort to, uh, to be more thorough in your observations..."

"Y'know, if you don't like the way I'm doing my job, why don't you find somebody else? Oh, that's right, there can only be one. As long as I'm alive, there is no one else. Well, there you go! I don't have to be the Slayer. I could be dead."

"That wasn't terribly funny. You notice I don't laugh."

"Wouldn't be much of a change. Either way I'm bored, constricted, I never get to shop, and my hair and fingernails still continue to grow. So really, when you think about it, what's the diff?"

"Do we have to be introspective now? Our only concern is to discover what was stolen from that mausoleum last night."

"Oh chill out, Giles. They were at the Du Lac mausoleum. I would have looked inside but my flashlight died on me. When I got home, Angel was there and wanted to say hi. I asked him to check out what was stolen. He phoned afterwards and said that it was a reliquary." He looks at her in stunned silence. "Come on. Spike's in town. Do you really think I'd let something like this slip past. And even if I did, you'd drag me back out there anyways. Besides, your expression just now. Priceless. Besides, there's another slayer out there." She smiles wickedly.

He recovers from the shock. "Josephus du Lac was buried there. He belonged to a religious sect

that was excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century."

"Excommunicated and sent to Sunnydale. There's a guy big with the sinning."

"You remember the book that was stolen from the library by a vampire a few weeks ago?"

"Yep."

"It was written by Du Lac. Damn it! I let it slip my mind with all the excitement."

"I'm guessing it wasn't a 'Taste of the Vatican' cookbook."

"No, the, uh, book was said to contain rituals and spells that reap unspeakable evil. However, it was written in archaic Latin so that nobody but the sect members could understand it.

"You think they stole a decoder ring thingie for the book?"

He looks at her, impressed by her mental gymnastics. "Something's coming, Buffy, and whatever it is, I can guarantee it's not good."

"Since when is anything big in Sunnydale ever good, Giles?"

* * *

Drusilla's room. She waves her hand over an intricately carved gold cross held before her by Spike on a red velvet pillow.

"This is it then?"

Drusilla senses "It hums. I can hear it".

"Once you're well again, we'll have a coronation down Main Street, and invite everyone, and drink for seven days and seven nights."

Dalton from behind them. "What about the Slayer? She almost blew the whole thing for us. She's trouble."

Spike looks at him. "You don't say?" He gets up and paces. "Trouble! She's the gnat in my ear! The gristle in my teeth! She's the bloody thorn in my BLOODY SIDE!" He kicks the table violently.

Drusilla becomes concerned. "Spike?"

"We gotta do something. We'll never complete your cure with that bitch breathing down our necks. I need to bring in the big guns. They'll take care of her once and for all."

Dalton: "Big guns?"

Spike: "The Order of Taraka."

Dalton: "The bounty hunters!"

Drusilla deals three tarot cards. They are a cyclops, a centipede and a panther. "They're coming to my party. Three of them." She looks up.

Spike walks back to the bed to look at the cards.

Dalton: "Uh, yes, but... The Order of Taraka, I mean... isn't that overkill?"

"No, I think it's just enough kill."

* * *

Tuesday, November 25, 1997

The career fair in the school lounge. Xander and Jesse walk into the hall at the far end and spot Willow.

As they walk, Xander "Willow! What are you doing here? Fly! Be free, little bird, you defy category!"

"I'm looking for Buffy."

"Oh, she went to see Giles about an hour ago." Jesse

"Oh, that's right. But if she doesn't out here soon, Snyder's really..." She spots him on the stairs. "...done a great job with the fair this year, hasn't he, Xander?"

"Principal Snyder! Great career fair, sir! Really! In fact, I'm so inspired by your leadership, I'm thinking principal school. I wanna walk in your shoes. Not your actual shoes, of course, because you're a tiny person. Not tiny in the small sense, of course. Okay, I'm done now."

Snyder "Where is she?"

Willow "Who?"

Snyder "You know who."

Willow looks around. "You mean Buffy? I just saw her..."

Snyder interrupts "And don't feed me that 'I just saw her a minute ago, she's around here somewhere' story."

Jesse "Have you checked the library? She was there an hour ago."

Xander "For what it's worth..."

Snyder interrupts "It's worth nothing, Harris. Whatever comes out of your mouth is a meaningless waste of breath. An airborne toxic event."

"Well, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to be so honest with me. And I can only hope that one day I'm in the position to be that honest with you."

"Fascinating."Snyder glares before stalking off towards the library.

"Well, love to stay and chat, but I got an appointment with the warden on standard riot procedure. Ciao." Xander walks off.

"He's still the bumbling idiot. Just not quite as bumbling. I'm off to the grease pits. See ya." Jesse heads off.

"Okay, see ya."

Two recruiters in dark suits approach Willow.

Recruiter "Willow Rosenberg?" As she turns to faces them. "Come with us, please?"

"Excuse me?"

"Let's walk."

The two men take her by the arms and guide her to a curtained-off area of the lounge. They pull the curtain aside for Willow. She reluctantly steps through and they follow her, letting the curtain fall closed again behind them. A waiter in a white jacket and black bow tie holds an hors-d'oeuvre tray up for her.

"Try the canape'. It's excellent."

Willow shakes her head to the waiter, and he immediately departs. "What is all this?"

"You've been selected to meet with Mr. McCarthy, head recruiter for the world's leading software concern. The jet was delayed by fog at Sea-Tac, but he should be here any minute. Please, make yourself comfortable." He gestures to the couch.

Willow "But I didn't even get my test back".

"The test was irrelevant. We've been tracking you for some time."

Willow "Is that a good thing?"

Recruiter "I would think so. We're extremely selective. In fact, only one other Sunnydale student met our criteria."

Without another word the two recruiters turn and leave through the curtain. Willow is a bit stunned, but turns around to see who the other student is. Oz is sitting there on the couch studying another tray of canape'. She decides not to stay and start to leave. As she opens the curtain, a recruiter tries to block her way. "Miss Rosenberg. What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving. I wanted to know what the test said I would be suited to. Not to be pitched woo by some sleazy recruiter." She pushes past him and heads toward the library, the slightest hint of gold shining in her eyes.

Oz turns to look at the noises. When he sees her he does a double take and realizes she's the girl he's noticed before. "Interesting."

Willow runs into Buffy at the corner after leaving the recruiters. She starts to hyperventilate as she tells her what just happened. "I can't believe I just walked out on them."

"Sounds like something Priss would do. Besides, I just stunned Giles by thinking ahead, so, lunch?"

"Sounds good." They walk off together.

* * *

Sunnydale bus depot. A bus just arriving as an announcement is being made. "Bus 219, continuing service to Los Angeles, now arriving in Sunnydale at the west gate."

The doors of the bus open, and the passengers begin to file out. On bottom step of the bus, a pair of heavy steel-toed boots stops on the step. Panning up the man's body past his leather jacket and long hair to his face. A scar runs across his milky white left eye. He looks around and steps off of the bus.

* * *

Street in front of the Summers house. A salesman comes walking along the street carrying a large case and eyes the 'Summers' nameplate hanging from their mailbox. He looks up at the house, but continues past to the next house and walks up to the front door. He knocks, and a woman answers.

"Mrs. Kalish?"

"Yes?"

He holds up his case. "Hello, I'm Norman Pfister with Blush Beautiful Skin Care. I'm not selling anything, so I'm not asking you to buy, just to accept a few free samples."

Mrs. Kalish takes off her glasses. "Free?"

"Absolutely."

She looks him up and down and nods him into her home. He walks in and she follows him, closing the door behind her. The camera closes in on the door, and a loud scream is heard.

* * *

Inside the cargo bay of a jet. The cargo door opens, and a baggage handler comes up the loading ramp and steps in. He notices that the cargo nets have been torn open, and takes off his headphones. "What the hell?" He looks around, suspecting someone's there. "Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!" He pulls out his flashlight and holds it ready to use as a club. "Hey, c'mon!"

He walks in further, looking for whoever it is. He sees a shadow moving behind a baggage container. Suddenly a foot comes up and kicks him in the face, in the gut and again in the face. He falls onto his back unconscious. The person walks toward the cargo door and peeks out. It's a young Caribbean girl with long curly hair tied back and large hoop earrings. She makes her way out of the plane, keeping a careful watch for anyone who might see her.


	11. What's my Line, Ambush

_AN:I was looking at the dates and noticed that the new moon was on the Saturday night after Thanksgiving in 1997. So consider the time line to be changed on acount of holidays._

_Dilvish, read the story, enjoyed same._

_Who makes a better member of the twelve? Oz or Jonathon?_

* * *

The school library. Willow, Xander, Buffy and Jesse are sitting at the table.

Willow begins "So Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book is connected to the one you slayed last night? Or is it slew?"

Giles comes out of the stacks with a National Geographic magazine. "Both are correct, and, yes, I'm sure. Du Lac was both a, a theologian and a mathematician. This article describes an invention of his, which he called 'The Du Lac Cross'." He comes down the stairs.

Xander "So, why go to all the trouble of inventing something, and then giving it a weak name like that? I mean, I'd of gone with 'The Cross-o-matic', or, uh, 'The Amazing Mr. Cross'."

The gang just stare at him. He looks up at Giles and nods. Giles doesn't think his musings are funny either.

Giles hands the open magazine to Willow. "The cross was more than a mere symbol, it was, uh, as Buffy put it so eloquently this morning, a decoder ring thingie."

Jesse laughs "Decoder ring thingie?"

Giles "That is how she referred to it before I had determined what it was."

Willow: "According to this, Du Lac destroyed every cross except the one buried with him."

Buffy: "Why destroy your own work?"

Giles paces. "Perhaps he feared what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands."

Xander "A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves up close and personal."

Giles "Unless we can preempt their plans."

Willow "How?"

Giles pulls a chair out and sits. "Uh, by learning what's in the book before they do. Which means we can expect to be here later tonight."

Willow smiles broadly. "Goody! Research party!"

Xander: "Will, you need a life in the worst way."

Buffy gets up. "Speaking of, Will and I really have to bail for now, but I promise we'll be back bright and early tomorrow and ready to search and slay."

Giles "This is a matter of some urgency, Buffy."

Buffy "I realize that. But we have plans and this isn't a prophecy situation. We'll be back in a few hours ready to research. Time to touch base and make sure I know why I'm fighting. And we'll bring snacks with us. And Angel." Buffy looks to Willow.

Willow looks up. "We should go. Y-y'know, gather our strength. Get something to eat."

Giles "Perhaps you're right. There may be fierce battles ahead."

Buffy makes tracks for the door, Willow along side her.

Jesse "But we need snacks now."

Xander complains "And Ho-Hos are a vital part of my cognitive process!"

Buffy smiles back at him. "Sorry, Xand, Jess. Someplace we have to be."

Giles, Jesse and Xander give each other a knowing look.

* * *

The ice skating rink. The place is empty except for Buffy skating gracefully in front of Willow. She makes use of the whole rink, doing practiced turns and spins. A minute later Buffy skates quickly by the staging area, and unnoticed by them, a stage panel begin pushed open. The one-eyed bounty hunter looks in at her. 

Buffy skates along, showing off for Willow. She does a crouching maneuver, but wipes out and slides backward against the sidewall. As she starts to regain her feet up the bounty hunter reaches down and grabs her by the neck and lifts her off of the ice. He pushes her down onto the railing and begins to choke her. Buffy tries to pry his hands from her throat as she struggles to breathe.

Willow cries out "Buffy!" and takes off running to help. Angel comes running out to the ring, his game face showing.

He leaps at the bounty hunter, knocking him off of Buffy. She falls from the railing onto the ice landing on her knee. The bounty hunter pushs himself to his feet letting Angel punch him in the kidney. The bounty hunter is unfazed, and returns with a double-fisted punch to Angel's stomach, sending him back into the wall. Angel comes off the wall and jabs him in the face, but the bounty hunter just shrugs it off. He punches Angel in the face and gut, making him stagger into the wall again. The bounty hunter grabs Angel by the throat and lifts him up. Buffy comes skating toward them at a fast pace.. She grabs the rail and uses it to swing up with her foot and catches him in the back of the neck with the blade of her skate, severing his spine. He collapses there, dead.

Willow rubs Buffy's knee while Angel crouches over the bounty hunter and lifts his hand to inspect his ring.

Buffy "The Hellmouth presents: Dead Guys On Ice. Not exactly the evening we were aiming for."

Angel looks closely at the ring. "You're in danger. You know what the ring means?"

Buffy "I just killed a Super Bowl champ?"

Angel gets annoyed. "I'm serious! You should go home and wait until you hear from me." He drops the bounty hunter's hand and stands up. He still has his game face on. "Are you two okay?"

Buffy "What about you?"

Angel "Forget about me. This is bad, Buffy. We gotta get you two outta here."

Willow "Why? What's happening?"

Buffy "What, you mean hide?"

Angel "Let's just get you someplace safe for now! Then I'll explain."

Buffy "What about your eye?"

"It's nothing serious. How are you?"

"I'll live." She starts to get to her feet but hisses as she puts her weight on her knee. Angel picks her up and carries her out, Willow worriedly walking beside them, holding Buffy's hand. Off to the side the girl from the airport walks up and stops, observing them.

* * *

The library. Giles inspects the ring under a magnifying lamp. Buffy is sitting on the steps with Willow beside her holding an icepack to her knee. Angel, Jesse and Xander are at the table. 

Buffy "This guy was hard-core, Giles. And Angel was power-freaked by that ring."

"I'm afraid he was not overreacting. This ring is worn only by members of the Order of Taraka. It's a society of deadly assassins dating back to before King Solomon. Their credo is to sow discord and kill the unwary."

The group look concerned and upset.

Buffy "These assassins, someone hired them. Who? And Why?" She pauses and thinks for a moment. "Spike. The vamp that stole the book worked for him. What do you want to bet that the vamp that took the cross works for him to?"

Willow "Then he's planing something."

Buffy "We just need to figure out what.."

Giles rubs his eyes and exhales. "I don't know, I don't know. I think the best thing we can do is to find a secure location. Somewhere out of the way you can go until we decide on the best course of action."

"I have to agree with Giles." Angel comments.

Buffy gets up. "Okay, now you have both say to head for the hills. Are you saying I can't handle this, that I'm not strong enough to fight these people?"

Giles: "They're a breed apart, Buffy. Unlike vampires they have no earthly desires, but to collect their bounty. They find a target, and, uh... they eliminate it. You can kill as many of them as you like, it won't make any difference. Where there's one, there will be another, and another. They won't stop coming until the job is done." Willow listens in shock while Buffy absorbs this solemnly. "Each one of them works alone. His own way. Some are human, some... a-are not. Y-you won't know who they are until they strike."

* * *

We see Norman looking through his binoculars at Buffy's house. On the floor behind him Mrs. Kalish is lying there dead. A trail of mealworms leads from her over to Norman sitting in a chair. 

Norman takes the binoculars from his eyes. There are mealworms crawling over his shoes. His hand and part of his forearm are missing, and the mealworms crawl all over it. They quickly form a hand, and it takes on the appearance of human skin. He calmly reaches over to a cup of tea and lifts it to take a sip.

* * *

Halls at school. Buffy is wigged and tense as she walks down the hall. She holds her hands to the back of her neck and shoulders. She jumps when a boy barges through the doors in the hall in front of her. She walks through the doors and scans the students in the hall, paranoid about them looking at her. The police recruiter looks at her, and she stares back. A teacher comes down the stairs in front of her and looks at her as he runs a comb through his hair. Several students walk past her, giving her the occasional glance. Behind her Oz comes walking at a quick pace. She hears a locker slam behind her and spins toward the noise, notices Oz quickly bearing down on her, takes him by the neck and shoves him into the wall. 

"Try it!"

Oz is confused. "Try what?"

She realizes she's made a mistakes and lets go of his neck. "I-I'm sorry."

"Still not clear what I'm supposed to try."

"Nothing. God, I'm... sorry, I..." She steps away from him, looks both ways down the hall and quickly heads off in the direction she was going. Oz moves away from the wall and shudders.

"That is one tense person."

* * *

Buffy's street at night. Buffy walks home alone, arms crossed and scanning the area around her. When she reaches her house she stops and just stares at it. She thinks better of going inside, looks around again and continues on.

* * *

The library. Giles walks out of his office cleaning his glasses. Willow is sitting at the counter going through a volume. Angel is looking through volumes at the table. Xander is sitting on the steps thinking. 

Willow "I wish there was more we could do."

"We're doing all that we can. The only course of action is to try and find out what was in that stolen book." He puts on his glasses and reads a card from the catalog.

Willow "I've never seen Buffy like that. She just took off."

Jesse comes in. "Well, she didn't go home. I let the phone ring a few hundred times before I remembered her mom and sister are out of town."

Giles "Well, maybe Buffy unplugged the phone."

Xander comments. "No, it's a statistical impossibility for a sixteen-year-old girl to unplug her phone. Besides, they could easily find out where she lives. Giles, Angel." He looks at them coldly. "You forgot that Buffy's may be only sixteen but she is still a veteran. You just couldn't tell her what was happening and help her deal. You had to just keep pointing ouot how inadequate to the task she was."

Willow nods in agreement.

Giles "Well, perhaps my words of caution were... a little too alarming."

Willow with heavy sarcasm. "Ya think? We have no idea where she is and the order could be anywhere."

Xander "It's good that she took you seriously, Giles, but you focused to much on the danger, not enough on what she can do. I just wish we knew where she was."

* * *

Out side Willow's house. Buffy walks over to the door. There's no answer when she knocks. 

"Willow?" She calls out desperately.

She tries the doorknob, but it's locked.

After a moment, she hears someone opening the door.

It swings open to reveal Ira Rosenberg. He looks at the forlorn figure of his daughter's best friend standing there and pulls the door open and lets her in. She enters and he leads her to the kitchen. He fixes them both a cup of chamomile tea and sits beside her, just waiting for her to relax. After a few minutes he asks "How did your date with my daughter go?"

"You know. Oh. .hh"

"Don't worry. I accidentally overheard Willow talking to you on the phone yesterday. It surprised me but." He shrugs his shoulders.

She calms down. "You don't mind?"

"She is my daughter. I want her to be happy. And her path is not mine. So how did it go?'

"It was wonderful until this guy attacked us. And I don't want to go home tonight. May I?"

"Go on upstairs. You may stay here tonight.


	12. What's my Line, Surprise Allies

Wednesday, November 26, 1997

* * *

The library. Giles is at his desk studying a book while holding the phone, waiting for Xander to answer.

Giles: "Xander? (pauses) No, no, I haven't heard from Buffy yet. Look, look, I think you should go to her house and check on her. (pauses) Well, right a, right away. (pauses) I don't know, get Cordelia to drive you."

He hangs up without waiting for a response and, picking up the book he's reading, walks back into the main room with it. There he sees Willow asleep in front of the PC with her head resting on the keyboard. He closes his book, crouches slightly and gently places his hand on her shoulder to wake her. "Willow?"

Willow wakes with a start and sits bolt upright muttering "Don't warn the tadpoles!"

"Are you alright?"

"Giles, what are you doing here?"

"It's the library, Willow. You fell asleep."

Willow looks around. "Oh! I..."

"Don't warn the tadpoles?"

Willow replies groggily. "I... I have frog fear."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. I conked out."

He sits beside her. "What? Please. You've gone quite beyond the call of duty. But, but, I... uh, fortunately, I think I may have found something finally."

"You did?"

Giles gets up to pace as he outlines his findings. "I found a description of the missing Du Lac manuscript. It's a ritual, Willow. Now, I, uh... I haven't managed to decipher the exact details, but I believe the purpose is to restore a weak and sick vampire back to full health."

"A vampire like Drusilla?"

"Exactly." He turns to look at her, noticing her haggard appearance. "Go home, get something to eat. It'll do you a world of good."

She looks up. "Alright." and leaves.

* * *

Drusilla's room. Dalton slams the Du Lac manuscript shut and hands Spike his handwritten pages of translation. Spike looks at it, reads a bit and smiles.

He walks to Drusilla in bed "By George, I think he's got it! The key to your cure, ducks. The missing bloody link, it was..."

Drusilla weakly continues "...Right, right in front of us... the whole time." She takes Spike's hand and pulls it down to her deck of tarot cards. The top card is a picture of an angel.

* * *

The street in front of Buffy's house. Xander and Cordelia walk up to her house.

Cordelia: " I can't even believe you. You dragged me out of bed for a ride? What am I, mass transportation?"

"That's what a lot of the guys say, but it's just locker room talk. I wouldn't pay it any mind."

"Oh, great, so now I'm your taxi and your punching bag."

"I like to think of you more as my witless foil, but if you insist." After giving her a half bow, he rushes up the steps to the porch and knocks on the door. He looks in through the glass. "Buffy!" When he doesn't see anyone stirring inside he walks over to the window. "C'mon, Cordelia. You wanna be a member of the Scooby Gang you gotta be willing to be inconvenienced every now and then." He starts trying the windows.

"Oh, right, 'cause I lie awake at night hoping you tweakos will be my best friends." While he tries another window. "And that my first husband will be a balding, demented homeless man."

Xander finally gets a window open. "Buffy could be in trouble." He steps through the window.

"And what if she is exactly? What are you gonna do about it? In case you haven't noticed, you're the lameness and she's the super chick, or whatever."As he opens the door for her.

"Well, at least I'm the lameness who cares, which is more than I can say about you. Buffy! I'm gonna check upstairs." Cordelia comes in and closes the door behind her. Xander climbs the stairs. "Buffy?"

Cordelia spins her keys around as she walks into the living room and looks around. She hears a knocking at the door and goes to answer it. When she opens it Norman is standing there.

Norman holds up his case, displaying the writing. "Good day. I'm Norman Pfister with Blush Beautiful Skin Care and Cosmetics. I was wondering if I might interest you in some free samples?"

Cordelia smiles. "Free?"

She steps aside to admit him and closes the door.

* * *

Willow's bedroom. Buffy is sleeping on her bed. Something disturbs her rest and she rolls off the bed. She opens her eyes to look and sees Kendra standing on the other side of the bed ready to swing an ax at where her head was at. As Kendra leaps over the bed, Buffy sidesteps until she is beside Willow's desk, while taking a defensive pose. "Are you a Tarakan?"

"No. Why would ya tink I am?"

"Then you must be Kendra, the other slayer.

"I am Kendra! De only Vampire Slayer!"

"Well Kendra, you just screwed up. I'm not a vamp. Check the mirror if you don't believe me."

Kendra slowly makes her way to where she can see Buffy's reflection in the mirror. She eases her stance. The door opens and Willow walks in..Surprised to see Buffy, she doesn't notice Kendra. "Buffy, Where were you? I, uh, we were worried." She leaps into Buffy's arms and engages her in a hug.

Kendra starts at the action and begins to raise her ax. Buffy notices the movement and indicates the mirror with a shake of her head. Kendra looks once more at the mirror eases up.

After a moment, Willow realizes that someone else is in the room and looks around. She starts as she sees Kendra. "Buffy, who's that?"

"That's Kendra. The new slayer who was called when I died. We're about to go see Giles. My watcher." She adds for Kendra.

* * *

The library. Kendra stands at attention as Giles paces. Buffy just leans on the chair Willow is sitting in with her left hand on Willow's right shoulder resting her right hand on her hip.

Willow makes introductions. "Her name is Kendra, no last name.

Giles "And your Watcher is, is Sam Zabuto, you say?"

Kendra "Yes, sir."

Giles "We've never met, but he, he's very well-respected."

Amy comes into the library with a smile on her face. Kendra marches around Buffy to intercept him.

She greets the group "Hey guys! What's happening?"

Kendra "Identify yourself!"

She's taken aback and her smile fades to a frown.

Buffy "Back off, pink ranger! That's my friend."

Kendra "Friend?"

Buffy "Yeah. As in person you hang with? Amigo?"

Kendra "I don't understand."

Buffy comments to Giles, exasperated while taking a seat. "You try. I'm tapped."

Giles "Kendra, uh, there are a few people, uh, civilians if you like, who, who know Buffy's identity. Willow and Amy are two of them, and they also, um, spend time together, uh, socially."

Kendra: "And you allow dis, sir? But de Slayer must work in secret for security."

Giles "Buffy's mother is very difficult to ignore. We've come into some information from before the council was first formed. The slayer was originally meant to work with a partner."

Buffy gives Giles a look.

Kendra: Why?

Amy "Hi, guys. Another slayer?" She goes to sit across from Willow and Buffy.

Giles "Uh, it seems somehow that, uh, another Slayer has been sent to Sunnydale."

Willow "How is that even possible? I mean, two Slayers at the same time? When Xander first told us about it, I thought that he was joking."

Giles "Not to my knowledge. Um, the new Slayer is only called after the previous Slayer has died. Oh, good Lord! You really were dead, Buffy."

Buffy "I know. I was only gone for a minute though."

Giles "Clearly it doesn't matter how long you were gone. You were physically dead! Thus causing the activation of the, the next Slayer."He nods toward Kendra. "However if you die again, you won't call another slayer.

Kendra "She died?"

Giles "She drowned, but she was revived."

Amy exclaims. "So what's going on?"

Giles " It would seem so. This is completely unprecedented! I'm quite flummoxed."

Buffy "Talk to mom when she gets back. After all, thirty thousand years of slayer knowledge might give a clue."

"You're right, oddly enough. But first we must determine why Kendra was sent here in the first place." Giles points out.

Kendra "Mr. Zabuto said all de signs indicate dat a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale.

Buffy gets up. "And what's your great plan for finding this dark power? You just gonna attack people randomly till you find a bad one?"

Kendra "Of course not."

"Then why the hell did you attack me?"

"I tought you were a vampire."

"Oh, a swing and a miss for the rookie. You didn't even check the mirror. You just jumped in swinging. That's a good way to die." She walks around Kendra to Giles.

Kendra "I had good reason to tink you were. Did I not see a vampire carrying you?"

Willow intervenes in her defense. "That was after that assassin tried to kill Buffy.

Buffy "Yes! Right. Look, you saw me with Angel, and he is a vampire, but he's good."

Kendra " Angel? You mean Angelus? I've read about him. He is a monster."

Giles "No, no, he's, he's good now."

Willow grins. "Really!"

Buffy "Gypsies cursed him with his soul."

Kendra "He has a what?"

Buffy "Y'know what, just trust us on this one, okay? He's on our team now."

* * *

Buffy's house foyer.

Norman's case is open and Cordelia is going through the samples. "Do you have anything in raisin? I know you wouldn't think so, but I'm both a winter and a summer."

Norman "Nine ninety-nine, tax included."

"You said that already. Do you have anything in the berry family?"

"Are there more ladies in the house?"

She turns to face him. "Oh, no, they're not home. You know, nothing personal, but maybe you should look into selling dictionaries, or... some..." She trails off as a mealworm crawl out of his sleeve and onto his hand. Xander comes back down the stairs and sees Norman. Cordelia slowly backs away from him.

Xander "Hey, what's up?"

Cordelia "Um, he's a salesman, and he was just leaving, right? Uh, okay! Buh-bye! Thank you!"

Xander reaches up to guide him out. "Okay, Mary Kay, time to..."

Another mealworm crawls across Norman's cheek and into his right ear causing Xander to back away.

Xander "Time to run!"

He breaks into a run, guiding Cordelia away with him as Norman transforms into a mass of mealworms. They quickly crawl across the floor. Xander and Cordelia run into the kitchen for the back door, but Norman is already there, reassembled and waiting for them. Cordelia screams, and Xander grabs her hand and pulls her back into the hall. They open the door to the basement and hurry in, closing the door behind them. The mealworms try to come under the door, but they stomp on them.

Xander yells "Find something to cover the crack under the door!" as he grabs a broom and sweeps the mealworms back under the door with it.

She finds a roll of duct tape. "Here! I don't do worms."

He gives her an exasperated look, grabs the roll from her and shoves the broom into her hands.

"Cover me!"

She sweeps at the mealworms while he pulls a length of tape off of the roll and sticks it to the bottom of the door while making sounds of utter disgust.

* * *

Willy's bar. Willy is sweeping up the place after hours. Angel, Kendra and Buffy barge through

the doorway.

Willy "Hey, we're closed! Can't you read the sign?"

Angel steps forward, the girls behind him.

"Oh, uh... hey, Angel, ladies. I didn't recognize you in the dark there.

What, uh... what can I do for you tonight?"

Angel " I need some information."

Willy: "Yeah? Man, that's too bad, 'cause... I'm stayin' away from that whole scene. I'm livin' right, Angel."

Angel slowly walks past the booths over to the pinball machine before replying. "Sure you are, Willy. And I'm taking up sunbathing."

"C'mon, man. Don't be that way! I-I treat you vamps good! I-I-I-I don't hassle you, you don't hassle me... We all enjoy the patronage of this establishment. Everybody's happy, right?"

Kendra rushes him pushing him onto the floor.

Kendra turns Willy over on the floor and grabs him by the shirt, ready to punch.

"Dis one is dirty! I can feel it!"

Angel interjects "Who sent them? She' get mean if she thinks you're lying."

Willy: "Who sent who?"

Angel stops at the pinball machine and leans on it. "The Order of Taraka."

Willy "I-I... I tell ya, I haven't been in the loop."

Angel "Let's try again. The Order of Taraka, they're after the Slayer."

Willy "C'mon, man."

Angel drops to his knees ."Was it Spike?"

Willy looks panicked, his eyes begging for help. "Look, Angel, I-I got some good pigs' blood in, good stuff, my fence said..."

Kendra grabs Willy and smacks his head into the floor.

Willy: "Damn it! Ah..."

Angel: "You know, I'm a little rusty when it comes to killing humans. It could take a while."

Willy: "Oh, Spike will draw and quarter me, man!"

Angel: "Spike's the least of your concerns."

Willy "You know he ordered those guys! Spike's sick of your girl getting in his way!"

Angel "Where can I find him?"

Willy "I tell you that, I'm gonna need relocating expenses! It'll cost you!"

Buffy smiles and removes a sword from under her shirt. "Willy?" She draws the sword from it's sheath and looks down at him as the sword bursts into a faint flame.

Willy looks up, worry evident on his face. "Whoa! There's a lotta tension in this room."

She brings down the sword slowly, letting the heat from the sword singe the hair from his left arm.

He screams out "I don't know. I don't know."

Buffy lifts the sword up a little. "Why should I believe you?" She asks in a voice as cold as ice.

"I can find out."

"Why should I believe you?'

"I swear on my mother's grave! Should something fatal happen to her, God forbid."

She motions Kendra to let him go. After he stands, she grags his neck and walks himback into the bar. Bringing the sword up between his legs until the heat it sheds starts to make him uncomfortable. "You fail and I'll make introdutions." She brings the blade a few inches more to emphasize her words before she replaces the sword into it's sheath. "Two days." she spits out before she turns to leave, Kendra following her.

Angel looks at a shaking Willy. "That's someone you don't want to cross." Before he follows them out.


	13. What's my Line, Passion and Pain

Sunnydale High. Giles, Kendra, Willow and Buffy come down the outside stairs and head into the halls.

Giles "Kendra, I've, uh, conferred with your Watcher, Mr. Zabuto, and, uh, we both agree that until this matter with Spike and Drusilla has been resolved that you two should work together."

Buffy "Oh, that'll be a treat."

Kendra "So, you believe dat Spike is attempting to revive dis Drusilla to health?"

Giles "Well, yes, I think that's the dark power that your, your Watcher referred to. You see Drusilla's not only evil, she's, well, she's also quite mad, and, uh, she has visions and if she's restored to her full health, well then, there's no, absolutely no telling what she and those around her might do."

Kendra "Den we will stop Spike."

Buffy "Ooo, good plan, let's go, charge!"

Giles "Buffy..."

Buffy "It's a little more complicated than that, John Wayne."

Giles "Yes, I'm, I'm afraid it is. You see, Spike has also called out the Order of Taraka to keep Buffy out of the way."

Kendra "De assassins? I read of dem in de writings of Dramius."

Giles "Oh, really? W-which volume?" As they exit the hall and walk along the colonnade.

Kendra "I believe it was six, sir."

Buffy "Um, how do you know all this?"

Kendra "From me studies."

Buffy "So, obviously you have a lot of free time."

Kendra "I study because it is required. The Slayer handbook insists on it." Giles smiles at her comments.

Willow asks "There's a Slayer handbook?"

Buffy "Wait. Handbook? What handbook? How come I don't have a handbook?"

Willow "Is there a T-shirt, too? 'Cause that would be cool..." She gets a look from Buffy causing her to roll her eyes.

Giles "After meeting you, Buffy, I realized that handbook would be of no use in your case."

Buffy "Well, what do you mean it would be of no use in my case? What's wrong with my case?"

Giles " Uh, Kendra, um, perhaps you'd like to show me the, the part in, uh, Dramius Six where, uh, uh, where it refers to the Order of Taraka. Really, I seem to have never been able to get through that book. It was a bit stodgy."

Kendra smiles. "It was difficult. All dose footnotes."

Giles and Kendra laugh out loud.

Buffy whispers to Willow. "Hello, and welcome to planet pocket protector."

Giles "Oh, well, B-Buffy, Principal Snyder was snooping round after you."

Buffy stops in her tracks. "Eep. Career fair."

Giles "Best make an appearance, I think."

Buffy "Right."

Kendra "Buffy's a student here?"

Giles "Yes."

Kendra "Riiight, of course. And I imagine she's a cheerleader as well."

Giles " Oh, no, well, actually she had to give up her cheerleading." He changes tack at Kendra's look. "Uh, it was quite an amusing story, actually. Uh, uh, let's go and find the book, shall we?"

The two of them head off to the library. Buffy and Willow continue their walk.

Buffy "Get a load of the she-Giles."

Willow "Creepy."

Buffy "Ew. I wonder if Giles wishes I was more of a book geek."

Willow "Giles is enough of a book geek for the both of you."

Buffy "Yeah, but did you see how they were vibing?" She mocks them "Volume six, ha, ha, ha!"

Willow "Buffy, no one could replace you. You'll always be Giles' favorite."

Buffy "I wonder."

Willow "Of course, you will. You're his Slayer. The real Slayer."

Buffy "No. Kendra carries the line. But no one can replace what this means." She holds up her hand, letting the chaos ring glitter in the hall light.

Willow "Nope. You're unique."

Buffy "I may be unique, but I'm not alone. And I don't have to worry about being alone, ever again."

Willow "Yeppers. We're in it with you for the long haul, baby."

Buffy "I can do other stuff. Career day stuff. I'll never have a normal life but it doesn't seem as bad as it did a month ago. I define my role, the role doesn't define all of me."

* * *

Buffy's basement. Cordelia is pacing.

"Could you sit down, or change your pattern or something? You're making me queasy."

Cordelia leans on the washer "Because you're just sitting there. You should be thinking up a plan."

""I have a plan. We wait. Buffy saves us."

"How will she even know where to find us?"

"Cordelia, this is Buffy's house. Odds are she'll find us."

"Well, what if she doesn't? What am I supposed to do? Just waste away down here with you? Haw, haw, no thank you!" She makes tracks for the stairs.

Xander gets up to stop her. "What are you doin'?"

She stops and face spins to him. "Going to see if he's gone!"

"That's brilliant! What if he isn't?"

"Oh, right! You think we should just slack here and hope that somebody else decides to be a hero? Sorry, forgot I was stranded with a LOSER!" She goes back to the washer and leans against it, crossing her arms.

"And yet I never forgot that I'm stuck with the numb-brain that let Mr. Mutant in the house in the FIRST PLACE!"

"HE LOOKED NORMAL!"

"What, is he supposed to have an arrow with the word 'assassin' over his head! All it took was the prospect of a free makeover, and you licked his hand like a big, dumb dog!"

"You know what? I'm going."She heads for the stairs yet again.

He just raises his eyebrows, ready to let her go. She stops at the foot of the stairs and faces him again."

"I'd rather be worm food than look at your pathetic face!"

"Then go! I'm not stopping ya!"

"I bet you wouldn't! I bet you'd let a girl go off to her doom all by herself!"

He nods, encouragingly. "Not just any girl. You're special."

"I can't believe that I'm stuck spending what will probably be my last few moments on Earth here WITH YOU!"

"I hope these are my last few moments! Three more seconds with you, and I'm gonna..."He takes a step towards her.

She steps towards him. "I'm gonna what? Coward!"

"Moron!"

"I hate you!"

"I HATE YOU!"

They look at each other for another second before grabbing each other and engaging in a mad, passionate kiss. It goes on for several seconds before they suddenly release each other and look at each other in surprise.

"We so need to get outta here."

She nods and mumbles in agreement.

She rushes up the stairs with Xander right behind. They stop at the top, crouch down and anxiously look at each other. Xander grabs one end of the tape and pulls it off. There aren't any worms on the other side. Xander moves the broom aside and opens the door slowly. They both look out into the hall for any sign of the mealworms. She comments "He's gone."

Xander steps out and peeks around the corner down the hall to the dining room. The coast looks clear, so he starts to dash for the front door. Cordelia follows a moment later, and as she passes through the dining room door, mealworms begin showering onto her from the ceiling. She screams as they fall on her en masse and runs for the door. Xander throws the door open and dashes into the front yard. Cordelia follows him out, screaming and panicking. "Xander, oh my God! Get them off of me!"

Xander turns to look.

Cordelia: "Get 'em off!"

He runs for the hose.

Cordelia terrified screaming continues. "Get 'em off of me! Oh, my God, get 'em off me!"

Xander grabs the hose and tries to wash the mealworms off of her. She keeps screaming and turns her back to him, then her front again. He keeps spraying as she tries to brush them off. She turns around again to let him spray her back again and reaches down the back of her dress to get some mealworms out. She turns back around. "Okay, okay, let's get outta here! Xander, let's go!"

He keeps spraying her in spite of her protests.

"Okay! Let's go!" She runs for her car. Xander follows her with the hose for another instant, then drops it and follows her. They jump in and she floors it, and they burn rubber into the street. Further down the block she screeches round the corner.

* * *

The halls at the school. Buffy and Willow stroll along past the career fair displays holding hands.

Buffy "My tests say that I should look into law enforcement - duh! - and environmental design."

Willow: "Environmental design. That's landscaping, right?"

Buffy: "So I checked the 'shrub' box. Landscaping was yesterday, but Snyder insists I hit both of them so law enforcement it is."

They stop near the steps to the couches in the lounge. Buffy looks around and notices Oz looking over at Willow.

Buffy "Hey, Will, don't look, okay, but..." Willow looks anyway. "Wills. That guy over there is totally checking you out."

Willow looks over with her eyes. "Oh, I saw him yesterday when I walked out of those recruiters."

Oz gets up and starts to walk over.

Buffy "Really? Then why is he on his way over here right now?"

Willow is surprised when she sees him coming. "I don't know."

Buffy: "Told you! I got to go. See you later."

Oz: "Hey."

Willow smiles and looks a little confused before she realizes what the difference is. "Hey! Your hair is brown!"

"Oh, yeah, sometimes. So, uh, I've never seen anyone just walk out like that.

"O"h. Uh, well, it just upset me. I filled out the test and everything and they just ignored it. I mean I like computers and all, it's just their big corporate attitude. What about you?"

"I'm not really a computer person, you know. Or a work of any kind person."

"They why'd they select you?"

"Oh, I sorta test well. Y'know, which is cool. E-except that it leads to jobs."

"Well, don't you have some ambition?"

"Oh, yeah! Yeah. E-flat, diminished ninth."

"Huh?"

"Well, the E-flat, it's, it's doable, but that diminished ninth, y'know, it's a man's chord. Now, you could lose a finger."

Willow nods, understanding flowing from her Halloween memories.

* * *

Buffy signs up at the law enforcement table and joins the group. Patrice, the recruitment officer, picks up the clipboard and looks it over.

Patrice: "Alright, listen up, and answer when I call your name. Buffy Summers."

Buffy raises her hand. Patrice calmly puts the clipboard back down. Quickly she draws her gun and aims it at Buffy. Buffy reacts in a flash and pushes the recruiter's hands and weapon up into the air as the first round goes off. As people panic and start to run and duck for cover, Buffy continues to struggle with the officer, and another round goes into the ceiling. A knee to the assassins gut, and she drops the gun and falls to the floor. Buffy starts to run as Patrice gets to her knees and pulls out her backup gun. Another bullet flies as Buffy leaps and plants her feet on a column, kicking off back the way she came and diving behind a table. She stands up again and looks around at everyone.

Buffy "GET DOWN!"

She starts to run again, away from Willow, who is busy diving for cover and Oz. Patrice follows Buffy with her aim.

Oz "LOOK OUT!"

He lunges for Willow but trips over her. The next bullet meant for Buffy hits Jonathon in the arm. Patrice keeps following Buffy with her gun and shoots off the cranium of a skeleton. Buffy has disappeared down the hall, and Patrice carefully makes her way to the wall to peer around it down the hall. She doesn't see her, but senses that she's there, and decides to go to the other end of the wall to come around the other side. On the other side, Buffy is leaning against the wall, breathing hard and waiting for Patrice to make her next move. When she is about to come around the other corner, Buffy leaps over a table and tackles her to the floor knocking her gun free and causing it to slide away. Buffy gets to her feet and takes a fighting stance. Patrice gets back to her knees, pulling out her small ankle backup and aiming it at Buffy as she stands back up. Kendra kicks the gun out of her hands before she can get off a round . She follows it up with a kick to Patrice's face, knocking her flat on her back. She makes her stand next to Buffy. Patrice grabs Oz as a hostage, pulls out a punch dagger and threatens him with it. The two girls watch her slowly back toward the door at the end of the hall with the boy in tow. Halfway there she drops Oz and makes a dash for the door. Kendra doesn't hesitate to give chase. Buffy rushes over to Jonathon and Willow and kneels down next to them. Jonathon is holding his arm.

Buffy "How is he?"

Willow "He's shot! Are you okay?" She asks Jonathon.

Jonathon takes his hand away briefly and chuckles in disbelief. "I, uh, I'm shot! Y'know. Wow! It's weird! And very painful."

Buffy gets up again when Kendra shows back up.

Kendra "She's gone."

Oz "What was that?"

Buffy looks around at the panicking students and faculty.


	14. What's my Line, Convergence

Cut to the library. Giles has the first-aid kit out, and Willow is wrapping Buffy's knee.

Buffy "She was definitely one of the Taraka gang, Giles, and way gun happy."

Giles "This, um, Jonathan chap, he, he, he's alright?"

Willow "The paramedic said it was only a scrape. Thank goodness."

Cordelia, Xander, and Jesse walk into the library. Kendra tries to head them off.

Buffy "Down, girl!"

Xander "Who sponsored career day today? The British Soccer Fan Association?"

Giles makes his way to the table. "We had a, a rather violent visit from the Order of Taraka."

Xander "You wanna talk Order of Taraka? We just met the king freak of the... Hey Kendra."

Kendra looks at the floor, humbling herself before Xander.

Giles "Oh, forgive me. Uh, Cordelia, Jesse this is Kendra. Uh, it's rather complicated, but she's also a Slayer."

Cordelia heads for the table. "Hi. Nice to meet you."

Jesse "A Slayer, huh? So she finally arrived."

Buffy hops off of the counter. "Just say hello, Jess." She heads for the table with Willow.

Jesse " Welcome. So! You're a Slayer, huh? I like that in a woman."

Kendra is obviously nervous. "Uh... I hope... I tank you... I mean, sir, um... I will be of service."

Jesse glances at the others and back to her. "Great! Good. It's good to be a giver." He walks over to the table.

Giles "Xander, um, this, this, uh, assassin you encountered, what, uh, what did he look like?"

Cordelia finds a mealworm in her hair and freaks out. She drops it onto an open book on the table and gets up. "Uhh! Uhh! Ohmigod, I'm showering!" Cordelia yells before running from the library.

Xander gestures toward the mealworm. "Like that."

Buffy "You and bug people, Xander. What's up with that?"

Xander "No, but this dude was completely different than praying mantis lady. He was a man of bugs, not a man who was a bug." He slams the biology book shut on the mealworm to kill it and sits down.

Giles "The, uh, the-the-the important thing is everybody's alright. Still, it's quite apparent that we're under serious attack."

Buffy glances towards Kendra as she speaks. "These Taraka are definitely serious. Fortunately for me, so is Kendra."

Giles: "And, uh, I fear the worst is still to come. I've discovered the remaining keys to Drusilla's cure. The, uh, the ritual requires that, the presence of her sire, and it must take place in a church on the night of the new moon."

Buffy suddenly looks very concerned.

Kendr: "The new moon. Dat's Saturday."

Giles "Exactly. And I-I'm sure the assassins were here to kill Buffy before she could put a stop to things."

Buffy "They need Drusilla's sire. You mean the vamp that made her?

Giles "Yes."

Willow "Buffy, what is it?"

Buffy looks at her feet. "Angel. He's Drusilla's sire."

Xander "Man, that guy got major neck in his day!"

Willow slaps him hard on the shoulder.

Buffy "What will this ritual do to him?"

Giles "It will most likely kill him."

Buffy "We need to find this church. We need to find where this ritual is gonna take place!"

Giles "Agreed, and we must get to work now. We have three days."

Willow opens her laptop. "Don't worry, Buffy, we'llkeep Angel safe."

Kendra "Angel? But our priority is to stop Drusilla!"

Xander "Angel's our friend! Except I don't like him, much."

Buffy "Look, you've got your priorities, and I've got mine. Right now they mesh. So, are you gonna help me, or are you gonna get out of my way?"

Kendra pauses to consider. "I'm wit you."

Buffy "Good. 'Cause I've had it. Spike is going down. You can attack me, you can send assassins after me, that's fine. But nobody messes with my friends or family!"

* * *

The library. Giles comes out of the stacks and heads toward the stairs with a large volume full of pictures. Willow is sitting on the steps web surfing on her laptop. He looks down at her screen and sits down next to her.

Giles "There are forty-three churches in Sunnydale? That seems a little excessive. He pulls out a roll of mints and tears off some wrapping."

Willow "It's the extra evil vibe from the Hellmouth. Makes people pray harder."

Giles offers her a mint, and she smiles and takes one. He gets back up and continues over to Xander and Cordelia at the table.

Giles "Well, check and see if any of them are closed or abandoned."

Xander "Yeah, yeah, we got monsters, we got demons, but no bug dude or police lady."

Giles sets the volume down in front of them and opens it. "Well, you should have better luck with this one. There's a whole section devoted to the Order of Taraka."

Giles' office. Kendra looks through the window at them doing their research. Buffy is sharpening a knife.

Kendra: "And dose two, dey also know you are de Slayer?"

"Yep."

"Did anyone explain to you what 'secret identity' means?" She walks to the desk.

"Nope. Must be in the handbook. Right after the chapter on personality removal. Besides, you try hidding something from my mom now."Buffy notices Kendra picking up the crossbow. "Be careful with that thing!"

"Please. I'm an expert in all weapons."

The bolt flies off of the crossbow and breaks a lamp. Buffy startles. Giles heard the noise from the main room and calls out. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's okay. Kendra killed the bad lamp."

"Sorry! Dis, uh, trigger mechanism is different. (sets the bow down) Perhaps when dis is over you can, uh, show me how to work it."

"For future reference, not all weapons have equal handling. When this is over I'm thinking pineapple pizza and teen video movie fest. Possibly something from the Ringwald oeuvre. Preferably with Willow."

* * *

The main room. Xander turns the page and finds a drawing of the bug dude. "Oh, here we go! I am the bug man, coo coo ka choo."

Giles and Willow come over to have a look. Xander reads in another book.

Xander "Okay. Okay. He can only be killed when he's in his disassembled state." He turns to Cordelia and speaks extra clearly. "Disassembled. That means when he's broken down into his liiittle buggy parts."

Cordelia "I know what it means, dorkhead."

Xander pretends to take offense. "Dorkhead! You slash me with your words!"

Giles rubs his eyes. Willow raises her eyebrows at them.

* * *

The office. Kendra is handling a stake while Buffy whittles.

"Your life is very different dan mine."

"You mean the part where I occasionally have one? Yeah, I guess it is."

"De tings you do and have, I was taught, distract from my calling. Friends, school... even family."

"Even family?"

"My parents, dey sent me to my Watcher when I was very young."

"How young?"

"I don't remember dem, actually. I've seen pictures. But, uh, dat's how seriously de calling is taken by my people. My modder and fadder gave me to my Watcher because dey believed dat dey were doing de right ting for me, and for de world." She puts down the stake and gets a sympathetic look from Buffy. "Please, I don't feel sorry for meself. Why should you?"

"I don't know, I... I guess it just sounds very lonely."

"Emotions are weakness, Buffy. You shouldn't entertain dem."

"Kendra, my emotions give me power. They're total assets! They give me reasons to stay alive, to not let my opponents to win."

Kendra picks up her knife. "Maybe. For you. But I prefer to keep an even mind." She begins to clean the blade.

Buffy puts down her knife. "Mm. I guess that explains it."

"Explains what?"

Buffy plays with the stake she just carved. "Oh, well, when we were fighting, uh, you're amazing! Your technique, it's flawless, it's, hmm, better than mine."

"I know."

"Still, I woulda kicked your butt in the end. And ya know why? No imagination".

Kendra rubs her blade more vigorously. "Really? Ya tink so?" She puts down the rag.

"Oh, I know so. You're good, but power alone isn't enough. A good fighter needs to know how to improvise, to go with the flow. Uh-uh, seriously, don't get me wrong, y-you really do have potential." She sets down the stake.

Kendra holds her knife ready "Potential? I could wipe de floor wit you right now!"

Buffy looks Kendra in the eye. "That would be anger you're feeling."

"What?"

"You feel it, right? How the anger gives you fire? A Slayer needs that."

They both look over at Xander as he walks into the office. "Excuse me, ladies."

Kendra looks down at the floor while he grabs a book from the desk. Xander notices her knife.

"Nice knife." He comments before leaves the office.

"I'm guessing dating isn't big with your Watcher either."

"I'm not permitted to speak with boys."

"Unless you're pummeling them." The phone rings. "Wait a minute." She answers it.

* * *

The science lab. Jenny, Jesse and Amy are looking at some old documents and objects.

"What are we looking for again?" Amy asks.

"We're looking for Nezzla demons. There's a object that they're guarding in the area." Jenny answers, not looking up.

Jesse knocks over a junk filled box, spreading the contents onto the floor. "Oh, great." He kneels down and starts to pick the stuff up. He picks up a stone disc and is about to toss it into the box when he stops and looks at it carefully. "I, uh, may have found something here."

They look up and Jenny reaches out to take the disc. Jesse sets it into her open hand. She studies it for a moment. "I think you may have found what we're looking for. I'll show this to Mrs. Summers tomorrow, okay?" She smiles.

* * *

Summer's Residence. Joyce and Dawn pull up driveway. Joyce notices the front door is open. She walks up and takes a look inside. She looks around and then goes back to the vehicle. Dawn and her then take their luggage into the house. She then goes to the kitchen and makes a phone call.

* * *

The Library. The phone rings. Giles answers, listens and calls out, "Buffy. Your mother wishes to speak with you."

Buffy runs out of the office and grabs the phone. Kendra follows and listens as Buffy tells her mom about recent events, obviously surprised that Mrs. Summers knows as much as she does.

After about five minutes and Buffy's report, she hangs up. Taking a deep breath, she turns and speaks. "Mom says that Kendra will be staying with us until she leaves. Secondly, everybody is invited over tomorrow for turkey."


	15. A New Selection

Friday, November 28, 1997

Kendra, Buffy, Willow and Xander are training at the high school gym. Giles watches as Xander drills the group in some of the special forces moves.

Kendra asks "Why is he showing da moves?"

"Because he knows this form. And before you ask, this style is taught to military special forces types during their training." Giles answers her. "Besides, if an opponent can predict your moves, they have a major advantage. Therefore the more techniques you know, the harder it is for your opponents to defend themselves."

"I see. And her?"

"She's here to learn how to protect herself and to improve her self discipline. She has great potential in magic and this will help her remain in control."

* * *

The sewers under Sunnydale. Jesse, Amy and Jenny accompany Joyce and the Ted bot through the tunnels following the directions from the disc. Jesse carries the zat from Halloween. They come to a cave leading down and follow for a few minutes before it comes to a chamber off to the right.

The tramping footsteps announce the arrival of a creature. The seven foot tall demon approached, it's grayish brown skin similar to the rock walls. Its vaguely fish like face grimaces as it shifts into a more threatening stance. Jesse brings up the zat and fires four times with the bluish bolts impacting into it's chest. The creature spasms and collapses to the cave floor.

Joyce removes a knife from her pocket and snaps the blade open. "You three should look away. This will get very messy." She brings down the razor sharp blade and starts to cut into the thing. Jesse, Jenny and Amy swiftly turn around and look down the tunnels, studiously ignoring the sounds being made.

* * *

Angel makes his way through the sewers toward the library when, as he approaches the last intersection, he spots Spike standing in the middle, waiting, a cigarette in one hand.

"Spike, what are you doing here?"

"Just came to see a man about a cure." Six more vampires appear out from behind him.

Angel lets a stake slip into his hand as he replies. "A cure? Why didn't you just ask? You know how much I care about my children."

"I do." Spike takes a drag. "And I know how soft you've gotten." He tosses the cigarette away.

As it leaves Spikes fingers, the six minions leap at Angel. He ducks under the first one and plants his weapon into it's chest. It's motion tears the stake from his hand as the vampire turns to dust. The remaining five bear him to the floor holding him firmly. A minion lets go and takes the chains that were left on the ground and begins to fasten Angel's legs together.

* * *

Jesse, Jenny and Amy are standing near the field protecting the chamber ahead of them. Joyce and Ted, who is mostly covered by the fresh hide of a Nezzla demon, walk up beside them.

"You sure this is going to work?" Amy asks.

"It's not a guarantee, but it is the least risky for us and the easiest to try." Joyce lifts the head covering and puts it in place on Ted. "Go get em." She instructs.

Ted walks through the field, which sparks and crackles as he passes through it. He walks to the far wall and picks up a wooden box from the ledge it rests upon with both hands. On his return, the field again crackles and pops as he crosses it. He holds out the box to Joyce.

She reaches out and lifts the lid, revealing twin orbs of some dark translucent substance. She replaces the lid and takes the box.

"Are they what we've been looking for?" Amy asks.

"They are. And I can permanently break the seal under the new moon and reclaim a twelfth part of my powers." She turns to face Amy. "And therefore the slayer line and the twelve as a whole will become a little stronger, and better able to face the forces that seek to enslave or destroy humanity. And more importantly, survive."

"I just wanted to make sure."

"Okay. Shall we leave?"

* * *

Drusilla and Spike's chamber. Drusilla is lying on the bed sleeping when Spike enters, dragging a chained and gagged Angel. He drops Angel beside the bed and runs his hand though her hair.

Drusilla moans as she awakens. "I was dreaming."

"Of what, pet?"

"We were in Paris. You had a branding iron."

He smiles in remembrance. "I got you a gift, pet." He picks Angel up from the floor.

Drusilla continues before she looks. "And there were worms in my baguette."

"Your sire, my sweet." He lets Angel fall onto the bed.

She looks over and smiles. "You brought daddy to me."

Spike comes to the other side of the bed. "The one and only. Now all we need's the new moon Saturday, and he will die, and you will be fully restored." He takes her hand, whispering. "lack goddess."kisses her hand "my ripe,"He works his way up her arm until he reaches her shoulder before raising his head "wicked plum. It's been..."

Drusilla sensually moans. "Forever."

They kiss passionately. Angel looks on from the bed, all tied up and gagged. He strains against his bonds. They break off their kiss.

Drusilla begs. "Spike, let me have him. Hmm? Until the moon."

Spike smiles at her eagerness. "Alright, you can play, but don't kill him. He mustn't die till the ritual."

"Bring him to me."

Spike rolls Angel beside her. She grabs him by the chin and looks him in the eye. "You've been a very bad daddy." She rakes her finger nails across his face leaving four oozing trails. She licks the seeping blood and smiles evilly. Angel lays there futilely struggling to get free.

* * *

The library. Every one from the two groups has arrived, the only one missing was Angel.

They break into a confused babble, everyone trying to make themselves heard, at least until Joyce stands, places her fingers to her mouth and gives a shrill piercing whistle. The others finally settle down and shut up. "Alright, Giles, who have a question?"

"Ah. Did you manage to retrieve what you were looking for?"

"We did." She sets the box on the table and opens it.

"You mus send dem to the council at once, sir. Dey are the only ones who can keep dem out of da hands of dose dat would misuse dem." Kendra speaks up.

"That won't be necessary. We've come across a way to permanently dispose of them." He reaches out too pick one up, looking at Joyce to make sure it's okay. At her subtle nod, he takes one and holds it to the light. "We've discovered that these orbs are one of a set of twelve that bind the powers of a very powerful entity. One that has no ill will toward mankind." Kendra snorts at the comment. "In fact, this particular being helped to create the slayer line over forty thousand years ago. And if this individual is freed, every slayer would be more powerful from the moment their called, more capable of keeping the world safe for mankind."

Buffy looks at Kendra. "We've been checking into this for the last month. And since this has nothing to do with the council directly, they don't need to know. And if they did, they'd try to kill us to save their own skins." She reaches out and grabs Kendra's wrist. A flash of light draws every ones attention to her hand and the chaos ring there. As they watch, the ring buds off a worm like length that swiftly crawls down to Kendra's fingers and wraps itself around her fingure, marking her as the fourth chosen of the twelve. Buffy quips, breaking the shocked silence "And now you're in the same boat as the rest of us." and lets go.

Willow meets Kendra's gaze. "Welcome to the Twelve." as she holds up her own hand, showing the ring that rests there.

Xander looks at her and raises his hand, his ring gleaming in the ambient light.

Kendra looks at her new ring. "I was to look for da Twelve so dat dey can be dealt wit. Da twelve signal da coming end of da council. It is thought to be a group of demons set on destroying the world."

"We've been asked to protect humanities future against any who would enslave it, whether they are good or evil. Those that recruited us say that the human race should determine it's own future." Xander carefully explains.

Giles breaks in. "We've come across some information that the council has been, oh, infiltrated, shall we say, that calls into question their goals. And the coming of the Twelve signals a judging of the council based on their treatment of the slayer line."

"And who is it dat shall pass judgement, sir?"

"The being that empowers the line, the one who oversaw it for some thirty thousand years before it was sealed and control of the line stolen. The one that the orbs holds nearly powerless."

"Why nearly powerless?"

"Why not seal her entirely, you mean. If all of her power were sealed, you would be a normal girl. They wanted a weapon. That's why they left a small portion of her power unbound."

"Speaking of which, when will you break it?" Xander asks Joyce.

"The new moon. With a little luck, those of you chosen will get a small power boost. Any news from Willy?"

"He says he doesn't know anything. I thought I'd take the sword again tomorrow and see if he's changed his mind."


	16. What's my Line, Resolutions

Saturday, November 29, 1997

The late morning sun light shone over the town. Buffy slowly awoke in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room until she realized where she was. She had spent the night at Willow's in the guest bedroom because she had volunteered her bed for Kendra's use while she was in town. And Xander asked had spent the night on her mom's couch. So when Willow had suggested she spend the night, she accepted. The only thing, since she and Willow had begun to date, Willow's father had forbid them from spending the night in the same bed.

The door suddenly swung open and a fully dressed green eyed fiery red head walked in. "Time to get up, sleepy head." Her chipper voice making Buffy groan and smile simultaneously.

"Good morning to you too." She replies. "So what are you up to?"

"I've being thinking about what to do until tonight." She seems a little nervous. "How's lunch sound, for now?"

"Sounds grearrrrt." Buffy fake roars, grinning while stretching.

"Good. Dad's offered to take us out." Her mood shifts for exuberant to worried. "He hasn't done something life this in years."

Buffy stands and pulls Willow into a swift hug. "He knows that we're dating. Why do you think I had to sleep here." She gestures around the guest bedroom. "Instead of in your room like usual. I'm guessing that he wants to interrogate me. Don't worry. Now I've got to get ready for lunch with a distinguished older gentleman and a gorgeous red head."

"Good. It's nice to see you wake up." She blushes as she turns and leaves, leaving Buffy to start her morning routine.

* * *

The library about mid afternoon. 

Buffy and Willow walk through the doors, hand in hand. Giles and Jenny are waiting there.

"You guys ready for tonight?" Buffy asks.

"Our plans are in place and our preparations are ready."

"He means yes." Jenny teases.

"Then it's time to find Angel." Buffy comments.

* * *

Willy's bar. Buffy shoves him up against the shelves of liquor bottles. 

Willy squeals "Ah! Honest! I don't know where Angel is!"

Buffy "What about this ritual? What have you heard?"

Willy "N-nothing! I-it's all hush-hush!"

Kendra "Just hit him, Buffy!"

Buffy to Willy "She likes to hit." She smiles at him with wicked pleasure. "But I like swords." She unsheathes the flaming sword once more and raise the blade so that he can feel the heat starting to singe his cheek.

Willy "You know, m-maybe I did hear something about this ritual. Yeah, i-i... I-it's coming back to me. But, uh, I'd have to take you there."

Buffy starts to drag him out of the bar. "Let's go."

Kendra "First we must return to de Watcher."

Buffy stops and turns. "Excuse me? While we run to Giles, this whole thing could go down!"

Kendra "But it is procedure."

"It's brainless, you mean! If we don't go now, Angel could die." She starts up again.

"Is dat all you're worried about? Your friend?"

Buffy stops again. "No, it's not all, but it's enough, for now."

"It's as I feared. He clouds your judgment. We can't stop dis ritual alone!"

"Are you listening to me? He could die!"

"He's a vampire. He should die. Why am I de only person who sees it?

Buffy just stares at her a moment before turning around again and heading for the door with Willy in tow.

"Are you dat big a fool?"

Buffy shoves Willy out ahead of her and leaves Kendra behind in the bar.

Kendra exhales. "Good."

* * *

Inside the church. Willy leads her down an arched hallway. "Here ya go. Don't ever say your friend Willy don't come through in a pinch." 

They round a corner, and Patrice and a vampire are waiting there for them.

"Here ya go. Don't ever say your friend Willy don't come through in a pinch."

Norman and another vampire block her escape from behind.

* * *

Summer's residence basement. Joyce stands at the center of a pentagram draw on the floor, while Jenny and Amy stand outside watching. The orbs are placed at the points closest to her hands as she chants in a harsh and seemingly ancient language. 

Suddenly her eyes flash red and the orbs shatter, releasing a pulse of dark energy that Joyce absorbs. Seconds later, a pulse of energy radiates out from her, visibly spreading throughout the room and passing through the walls where it spreads out through the town.

* * *

The nave of the church. Spike walks up the main aisle from the altar with a smoking incense censer. "Eligor. I name thee. Bringer of war, poisoners, pariahs, grand obscenity." He turns back to the altar where Angel and Drusilla are both strapped together to a chain that hangs from the ceiling. Angel's right hand is chained above his head. 

Spike "Eligor, wretched master of decay, bring your black medicine."

Drusilla repeats "Black medicine."

Spike sets the censer down on the altar and picks up the Du Lac Cross with his gloved hand. He holds up the cross upside-down. "Come. Restore your most impious, murderous child."

Drusilla "Murderous child."

He grabs the downward-pointing tip of the cross with his other hand and yanks down, revealing a dagger. He lays the rest of the cross back on the altar. "From the blood of the sire she is risen." He takes Drusilla's left hand and raises it to Angel's, and she clasps it. "From the blood of the sire, she shall rise again."

With one swift stroke Spike impales the blade through their hands. A scream of agony rips out of Angel's throat. A blindingly bright pink light emanates from their wounds. A pulse of energy spreads out, and then the light dies back down to a faint glimmer as Angel's strength begins to ebb from him into Drusilla. She droops backward, feeling Angel's energy flow into her.

"Right, then! Now we just let them come to a simmering boil, and remove to a low flame."

Willy barges through the door and strides into the nave with the vampires and assassins escorting Buffy close behind. "It's payday, pal. I got your Slayer."

Spike strides up the aisle to meet him, his anger evident. "Are you tripping! You bring her here! Now!"

"You said you wanted her."

Buffy sees Angel and Drusilla tied together at the altar.

Spike "In the ground, pinhead! I wanted her dead."

"Now, that's not what I heard. Word was there was a bounty on her dead or alive."

"You heard wrong, Willy."

Buffy whispers. "Angel."

Spike steps over to Buffy. "Yeah. It bugs me, too, seeing him like that. Another five minutes, though, and Angel will be dead, so... I forebear. Don't feel too bad for Angel, though, he's got something you don't have."

Buffy angrily retorts. "What's that?"

"Five minutes. Patrice!"

As she lets go of Buffy and draws her gun, a pulse of power flows through the room. Buffy looks up as the power washes over them and smiles coldly, her strength swelling to new heights.

She rips her arm from the vampire holding her. The other door suddenly bursts open, and Kendra comes in doing a series of backflips, ending in a flying double kick, one foot to the back of each of the vampire's heads. They fall to the floor, pushing Buffy into Spike and knocking him down. Kendra lands on her feet, ready to fight. She wastes no time running over to Spike as he gets up, meeting Buffy there to fight him.

Spike "Who the hell is this!"

Kendra grabs him by the shirt as Buffy quips. "It's your lucky day, Spike."

"Two Slayers!" Kendra decks him.

"No waiting!" Buffy jabs him.

Spike falls but gets up. Kendra breaks off to fight Patrice, leaving Buffy to take care of Spike. He ducks a roundhouse kick from her. Kendra faces off with Patrice who extends her arms down, sliding a blade out from each sleeve. One of the vampires gets up from the floor next to them and starts to reach for Buffy when a bolt impales him. He falls and turns to ashes while Giles looks on from the door, still holding the crossbow, Jesse beside him with another crossbow. Kendra and Patrice begin to fight hand-to-hand. Patrice alternates thrusting one blade, then the other at Kendra, but she catches her arms and holds them up while kneeing Patrice in the stomach. Kendra follows up with a kick to her face and sends her stumbling back into the wall. Spike lands a punch on Buffy, who seems to ignore it. The other vampire gets up also, But takes a bolt in the kidney and Giles runs to engage him, while Jesse tries to reload. He swings the crossbow at him, but the vampire grabs it, and they struggle over it. Giles swings and hits the vampire in the face. Willow jumps up onto his back and starts trying to twist his head with her arms.

Xander spots Norman and taunts him. "Hey, larvae boy!" Norman sees him. "Yeah, that's right, I'm talkin' to you, ya big cootie!"

Norman smiles and starts after him. Xander scrambles for the doors and carefully steps through as he closes them behind him to avoid stepping into the puddle of liquid adhesive Cordelia has poured there. She still has the bucket in her hand.

Xander: "Welcome, my little pretties!"

Norman comes under the door as a mass of mealworms. Back inside Giles punches the vampire twice while Willow keeps holding on. Buffy jumps over Spike when he tries to knock her legs out from under her. She tries another roundhouse kick, but he blocks it, but is still staggered. Patrice gets back up and comes for Kendra. She ducks a kick and lunges at her with her blades, but Kendra handily blocks her. She swings at Kendra's face with one, but she ducks out of the way. Out in the hall the mealworms have gotten stuck in the adhesive and Xander and Cordelia begin to stomp them. Inside Buffy swings at Spike and is blocked. Spike lands a hit on her. Kendra punches Patrice in the face and sends her staggering back into the wall again. Buffy punches Spike again, and follows up with a quick jab. He hits the floor and scrambles back up. She blocks his thrust, then kicks him in the face and again in the gut. He doubles over and falls to the floor.

In the hall Cordelia and Xander continue stomping away. "Die! Die, die, die! Die!" She chants.

Xander puts his hand on her lower back to calm her. "I think he did, Cordy."

She drops the bucket and they run off. Inside, a newly arriving vampire rushes Buffy, only to receive a bolt from Jesse's reloaded crossbow, causing him to collapse into dust. He drops the it and heads towards Angel.

Buffy blocks a punch from Spike, and another, but then he lands punches to her stomach and face. She blocks his next swing and holds his arm while she punches him twice in the face. She grabs his coat and pulls him around and throws him over several pews and into the wall. Behind another pew Willy gets up. Spike growls as he stands back up and sees Willy trying to sneak out of the church. He rushes over and grabs him by the back of the neck. "Where are you going?"

Buffy seizes the opportunity to run to the altar and pull the dagger out of bound vampire's hands.

Willy "Now, there's a way in which this isn't my fault!"

"They tricked you."

"Mm-hm! They were duplicitous!"

"Well, then I'll only kill you just this once."

As he goes for the bite, Drusilla weakly moans "Spike!"

Spike stops before biting Willy and looks over at her where Buffy trying to untie them. He lets go of Willy and rushes over to the altar, grabs Buffy and shoves her to the floor. He backhands her as she gets back up, knocking her down again. Willy wastes no time running out of the room past Willow and Giles, who are still fighting the other vampire. Giles has his held back by both arms and Willow has a stake raised to kill him.

Willow "Hold him steady!"

She plunges the stake into the vampire's heart and he bursts into ashes, leaving Giles all dusty. Xander and Cordelia run into the back of the nave as Willow pats the dust off of Giles. Patrice throws Kendra over a knocked-over pew and climbs over after her. She swings at Kendra twice, but misses both times when Kendra ducks. She swings again and this time slashes her in the arm.

Kendra grabs her wound and looks down at it. "Dat's me favrit shirt! Dat's me only shirt!"

Kendra rage lends her new strength, and she kicks Patrice in the back of the knee, making her lose her balance. She grabs Patrice by the arm and throws her into a cabinet in front of the organ, smashing it to pieces and knocking her out. Kendra rushes over to join the others. Spike takes a torch from its wall hanger and throws it into a pile of old drapes, setting them ablaze.

Xander "Look out!"

Spike unstraps Drusilla from Angel. "Sorry, baby. Gotta go." He lifts her into his arms and starts down the aisle. "Hope that was enough."

With nothing holding him up anymore Angel falls to the floor behind them. Jesse makes it to him and sees Spike making his escape yells out. "Buffy!"

She stands up and grabs the censer from the altar. She swings it around her head by its chain a few times and launches it at Spike. It hits him in the back of the head, and he stumbles into the church organ. The keyboard console collapses under his weight. "I'm good!"

A moment later the organ superstructure collapses onto Spike and Drusilla, with its huge brass pipes clanging and rolling everywhere. Jesse helps Angel sit up.

Giles and the others see them through the flames. Kendra runs over and crouches down next to them. "Let's get him out!"

Angel moans as they begin to help him up.

Jesse says "Careful!"

Kendra: "C'mon."

With their help he gets to his feet. Kendra gets under his arm to support him. The others run out of the church as the three of them make their way up the aisle and out the other door. The wreckage of the organ has caught fire now, too.

* * *

Monday, December 1, 1997

The school hall. Cordelia comes walking along. When she sees Xander she immediately turns to walk the other way. Xander runs around her and grabs her shoulder. "We need to talk."

Cordelia rolls her eyes and crosses her arms as she goes into an empty classroom. He looks back and forth down the hall to make sure no one sees them going in together and follows her. He stands a distance away from her. They both fidget with their hands.

"Okay, uh here's the deal. We don't have to run every time we see each other in the hall."

"Right. Okay. Why shouldn't we run?"

"What happened, there's a total explanation for it."

"You're a pervert?"

"We were in a life and death situation."

"Yeah!"

He takes a step closer. "And things happen when people are risking life or death."

Cordelia takes a step closer "As if! You've probably been planning this for months!"

"Right, I hired a Latvian bug man to kill Buffy so I could kiss you. I hate to burst your bubble, but you don't inspire me to spring for a dinner over at Bucky's Fondue Hut.

She starts to leave, but steps back, closer. "Fine! Whatever. You know, the point is: don't try it again!"

Xander calms a bit "I didn't try it! Forget about the bugs, okay? The memory of your lips on mine makes my blood run cold."

Cordelia steps closer. "If you dare breathe a word of this..."

Xander: "Like I want anyone to know!"

Cordelia: "Then it's erased!"

Xander: "Never happened!"

Cordelia: "Good!"

Xander: "Good!"

Cordelia: "Good!"

They stare into each other's eyes for a moment, and then grab each other in another mad, passionate kiss. This time they don't break off.

* * *

The front of the school. Buffy is walking Kendra to her taxi while carrying a shopping bag.

"Tank you for de shirt, it was very generous of you."

"Hey, it looks better on... well, me, but no worries. Now, when you get to the airport...

"I get on de plane with me ticket, and sit in a seat. Not de cargo hold."

"Very good."

"Dat is not traveling under cover."

"Exactly. Relax! You earned it. Sit in your seat, you eat your peanuts, you watch the movie, well, unless it's about a dog or Chevy Chase."

"I'll remember." She opens the cab door.

"I, um... I just wanted to thank you... for helping us save Angel."

"Mm. Am not tellin' me Watcher about dat. It is too strange dat a Slayer works wit a vampire."

Buffy smirks. "Tell me about it." She hands Kendra the bag. "Willow and I got you a few things we thought you'd need. A couple more shirts and. ..."

"What?"

Buffy smirks. "A stuffed bunny. Every girl needs a stuffed animal. They won't fire us for that."

"You always do dat."

"Do what?"

"You talk about slaying like it's a job. It's not. It's who you are."

"Did you get that from your handbook?"

"From you."

"You're right. It is part of what I am. But I'm more then just a slayer. We both are." She smiles. "I'm a freak. But I've got good friends."

"Not de only freak and my friend as well."

They look at each other for a moment, then Buffy makes a move to hug Kendra, but she backs away.

Kendra: "I don't hug."

Buffy: "Right. No. Good. Hate hugs."

Kendra smiles at her and gets into the cab. Buffy holds up her hand in good-bye. She watches as the taxi pulls away.

* * *

The fire has burned itself out in the church. The scorched rubble of the pipe organ lays over an unconscious Spike. A shower of rumble reveals a fanged Drusilla who was buried beside him. She stands while holding him by the arm. 

"Don't worry, dear heart."

She pulls him off of the floor and holds him up by his arm. His head just droops down. "I'll see that you get strong again." She scoops up his legs with her other arm. "Like me!"

Slowly she carries him from the charred remains of the church. Above in the rafters, an angelic winged figure watches them leave.


	17. Gathering Chaos

Saturday, December 13, 1997

The gang meets at Ted's place, having arranged for his legal death the on the second. The remains of four wives have been removed and given proper rites. The will had been found leaving everything to Joyce. And the Christmas break had begun.

Xander and Jesse are the last to arrive in the shop area. "Hey everyone. I got donuts." Xander calls out before setting the boxes beside Giles who immediately grabs a jelly filled.

"So what are the plans for today, Joyce?" Giles politely inquires as he take a jelly donut.

"I'm taking Dawn and going house shopping. I've made arrangements for Tara to move in at the beginning of the next semester. And I'm making arrangements to adopt Faith. So our home just doesn't have the room we need. Especially with the needs for a place to train and research after high school. So the sooner we start looking, the sooner we can move."

"What kind of place are you looking for, Mrs. Summers?" Cordelia asks.

"Oh, a mansion or a small estate of some sort. One that doesn't cost more then a few million including any repairs and remodeling needed. I don't want to drain my finances to much. The gallery doesn't make that much and I'd rather save what I can for emergencies." She turns to Dawn. "How would you like to have two new big sisters?"

"Can we, please. We can trade Buffy in for them too. Please mom, please, can we?" Dawn begs.

"We're not trading Buffy in, Dawn and that's final." She turns to the rest. "So, are you alright with this?"

"We're okay, Joyce. The police have removed the bodies and we'll check the rest for anything out of the ordinary." Jenny replies.

"Alright then. Let's go Dawn. If you're a good girl, I'll get you a milkshake."

She jumps up excited and cries out "Yippee!" before she follows Joyce out of the shop. Just before she exits, she pauses , sticks her tongue out at Buffy and runs outside.

"Little sisters." Buffy says, clearly exasperated as she shakes her head. After a minute, she looks up and around. "Alright people, lets take a look around. Willow, Jesse and Miss Calendar, would you mind looking at the computers and any plans that we find?" She waits for their affirmations before continuing. "Until we find some could you, Giles and Amy look through any papers that we can find. Cordelia, Xander and I will look for any hidden areas or doors to start. Xander, will you direct our search?"

"Sure thing, Buffy." He answers after a moment of reflection. After a quick look around "I doubt there's anything up here though. If there's anything here, my guess says it's downstairs. So shall we?" He opens the trapdoor and starts down. Buffy follows and after a moment the rest of the teenagers follow.

"Miss Calendar, Jenny." Giles calls.

She turns to him and asks "What, Rupert?"

"What's bothering you?"

"It's the girls. Buffy and Willow."

"Ah."

"You don't seem surprised."

"I'm not. I would have expected Joyce to react the worst but that was before. Xander has been adjusting to Willow since Halloween although Buffy threw him for a loop. And the rest have refused to say anything in front of the two of them because of the stress that Buffy is already under. And they've tried to minimize their displays of affection, at least in public."

"So I'm not alone in having problems with them."

"You're not alone. But since the situation at the time it was revealed was so tumultuous, they just set it aside for the moment and when things were calmer, they had started dealing with it."

"Alright. Just give me some time to deal with it."

"All the time you need." He smiles gently at her. After a moment she returns a shy smile of her own before heading down the stairs.

* * *

Several hours pass by. The known papers have been searched through and several hidden areas have been found and the contents examined.

Xander paces in the living room. "We're missing something.?" He mutters. He pauses for a moment and grabs a peice of paper and a pencil. "Buffy, go measure the rooms for me, will ya?"

"Sure thing. You got a idea?"

"Let's just do a quick map and see what we find, alright?" He smiles at her.

Buffy drags along Cordelia to measure the rooms while Xander draws out a rough map of Ted's bunker of love. And when they've finished their task, exclamations are made as a square about nine feet a side shows up in the middle of the floor plan, one side of which is alongside of a walk in closet. The three walls around it reveal nothing. But when they enter the walk in closet and shut the door behind them, a panel opens, revealing itself as a concealed door. The door opens upon an old elevator. Buffy and Xander take the lift down about thirty feet where it stops at a small room with a shaped cave running out of sight.

Cordelia runs to the living area. "Guys, you've got to see this! They found an elevator!" Her excitement draws their attention as her words sink in.

"Show us." Giles instructs.

She leads them to the closet and reveals the find to them. The group makes their way down in two groups after leaving a note in the coffee table in case Joyce shows up while they're gone.

They follow the tunnel which leads down and shows obvious signs of being worked on. The ceiling is hung with bare florescent lighting. The gently downward sloping floor has been smoothed and filled with patches of concrete while every so often, a side passage has been sealed with mortared walls of rubble and steel reinforcing bars. Twice they encounter flights of steps down above them cut into the rock, each time there are smooth ramps left on the sides with anchor bolts set into the walls at the top.

The descending passage ends after about three hundred feet into a smallish cavern that ends in a wall of broken rubble from which emerges a large curved wall of some unfamiliar metallic substance that, for all the world, looks like a partially buried sixty foot diameter sphere covered in scratches and dents. Closer examination reveals that someone in the past had stabilized the rubble with cement poured into the crevices and voids, fusing the wall into a more unified structure and excavated the object from it's own burial.

An hatch of some sixteen feet diameter fills most of the visible surface, just cracked open slightly. Around the chamber are tables with strange items lying upon them alongside papers and notebooks scattered around. One table, the one closest to the tunnel entrance, lies covered with old newspapers preserved in the dry environment.

Giles goes over and gently blows the dust off of the newspapers and starts to examine them. Jesse wonders around the tables, examining what ly upon them, his excitement growing as he travels from table to table. Amy starts at a nearby table and begins to carefully dust the papers and notebooks, taking care to keep the papers close to where she finds them. Jenny and Cordelia just look around, stunned at their find. Xander taps Buffy's shoulder and steers her and Willow to the hatch where Buffy grabs hold and slowly pulls it open. Xander and Willow pitch in and they slowly swing the massive object open.

The rest look around as the hatch squeals as the unlubricated metal slides and opens, revealing what lay within.

Giles starts "Bloody Hell. Oh Dear Lord. I. . . It can't be." He trails off, shocked to the core at what lies revealed. He stands there, staring.

The rest look at the shape, a saucer like top mounted upon three supports. The three standing at the hatch make out the three supports are actually tentacular legs.

Giles recovers his wits. "Everyone, be careful." He pauses to study the newspapers. "How many of you have read the novel 'War of the Worlds'" He looks around at them. "It seems that in 1906, strange objects fell from the skies from San Francisco down to here. From these objects, these tripod machines arose and laid waste to their surroundings. However, within just a couple of months, these machines fell silent or exploded. A few simply walked into the ocean, never to be seen again. And within a week of the last one falling silent, San Francisco suffered it's great earthquake. I guessing that the authorities used the opportunity to begin a massive cover up. They shipped off all the items that they could find and attributed all the death and destructions upon the earthquake." He looks around at them.

Xander speaks up. "So one of the pods fell here and was buried in the ground. Probably, the aliens inside tried to get out. They must have cracked the hatch and became infected. Or some of the local night life got a special treat." He pauses for a moment. "If the mayor is doing what we think he is, he might of used his resources to keep this thing hidden. You know, the one I spoke to hinted about something for us to make use of."

"So Ted found this thing and started to study it. He learned some stuff and used it to make the Ted bot. Was there anything in it about this place?" Buffy asks.

Willow responds. "Nothing that we could find. It's likely that the files were protected with a delete command if any unauthorized access was made. Or they were stored elsewhere upstairs. Or the bot didn't know about this place."

"I wonder." They look at Jesse as he muses. "What find of power source did they use?" He asks himself. Suddenly he looks up. "Lets go. Leave everything for now. I'll come back later with a Geiger counter."

They start walking toward the elevator quicker then when they came down.

* * *

Tuesday, December 16, 1997

Jesse reports back to the gang. "I borrowed a Geiger counter from the school and swept the place. No more radiation then normal."

"Um, it's good to know that we didn't put ourselves unnecessarily at risk. Now the question is what do we do with the discovery." Giles comments.

Buffy replies. "Those of us that have the interest, can study it and see if we can make use of any of the technology it contains. Otherwise, we can use it as a base of operations."

"True. There's a lot we can learn from it. But I can't do everything." Jesse comments.

"Willow and I will be working on our magic in addition to any research. But most of our expertise is in the field of computers. Maybe we can find someone to help with the research." Jenny adds.

Buffy comments. "Everyone will continue learning basic martial arts and magic. Sounds like we all need to familiarize ourselves with high tech stuff to. If we each put in a couple of hours a week into each area, then we each can put another six hours a week into our specialties. In my case, I get to practice my combat skills."

Giles looks surprised. "You're showing a lot of maturity, Buffy."

"You have to spend the time also, Giles. Besides, Mom's made arrangements for us to visit a shooting range on Saturday to get familiar with guns. As Xander said, we should familiarize ourselves with em. But there will be times and situations where using guns will be to our advantage. And as we can get a hold of em, we should experiment with different ammo types and guns on vampires and demons away from people. We can't just rely on overwhelming firepower. All it would take is someone to call the police or the A.T.F. and we'd never see the outside of a prison again, if we live."

"What is the ATF, Buffy?" Giles inquires.

Xander answers. "The Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. There's been a few occasions where they've gone in and innocent people have died. It's better not to draw their attention if we can avoid it. Besides, we can't afford to stock up to heavily on weapons anyway. Crossbows work well on most things and we can make most of the bolts we'll need."

"So Saturday morning, we'll meet and head to LA for the lesson. And afterwards, we'll take advantage of what we've learned in future planning sessions. Besides, I'd like to get the entire twelve into training before any of them have to play catchup with the rest of us." Buffy finishes.

* * *

Saturday, December 20, 1997

The group has arrived back in Sunnydale and scattered to their homes.

Willow and Buffy take a quick patrol.

"So Wills. Have you seen the new place?"

"No. Where is it?"

"You know the old mansion on Crawford Street? That's our new home, once repairs are made."

"It's big enough."

"So, what did you think of our lesson?"

"I don't like guns. I admit that I can deal with them but I don't wanna."

"I don't blame ya. And as long as we do our fighting in town, I'll agree with ya. There's just to great a risk to innocents. I was surprised at how far a pistol round can penetrate. And if we start using em, our foes will to."

"That's true. I remember you telling me about the time Darla tried using pistols."

"Can you imagine a vampire sniper?"

"No thanks." They walk for a few minutes in silence. "What cha doing for the holidays?"

"Mom wants everyone together for Christmas morning. Other then that, no plans. Why?"

"Dad asked me to invite you over for Chanukah. It starts Tuesday and runs till the thirty first. Just don't talk about us in front of my mom. If you agree, dad's given his permission for me to join you for Christmas morning."

"Sounds good to me." She pulls Willow into a tight embrace and kisses her passionately. "I needed that." She smiles.

"That was nice." Willow smiles back, an innocence yet seductive smile. She kisses Buffy, and steps back as Buffy lets her go.

"So was that." She turns and tears into the two vampires that had been attempting to sneak up on them.

* * *

Thursday, December 25, 1997

Amidst the cheer of the celebration, as the various foods are passed around, Willow and Jenny make contact. And Willow's ring flashes and buds off a golden worm like thing that makes it's way down Jenny's arm and circles her finger, marking the fifth of the twelve revealed.

The group wonders at the selection before returning to the celebration.

* * *

A mountain peak high in the Andes of South America. A dark-skinned shark-mouthed demon walks out of a small cave. A half dozen starving men are forced into the cave. Afterwards, explosives are used to seal the cave.

He removes a broken axe blade and places it carefully against the shaft from Tibet. The pieces flow together and seal in place. The weapon reveals that it is missing the lower half of the blade, a spike at the top and the bottom of the haft. He walks over to the radio setup and activates it. "I have the second piece. There are three pieces left and we've got good fixes on the all of them."

"Good. Your payment will be transferred now." from the speaker.

* * *

Monday, December 29, 1997

Mid morning. Joyce Summers exits the cab and walks into the shelter. After a moment speaking with a volunteer, she approaches a dark haired girl by herself in the corner. "Faith" She asks.

The dark haired girl looks up revealing a battered and bruised Faith. "Yeah."

"I'm Joyce Summers. Would you like to have a decent home, one where people actually care about you?"

"What do you care?"

"Would you take a walk with me. I'll buy you lunch and we'll talk." She holds out her hand.

Faith looks up into her eyes intently for a long moment. She reaches out and takes Joyce's hand. "Okay."

* * *

Mid afternoon. Someone knocks at the door at Revello drive. Xander gets up to answer the door. "Hey Tara. Come on in. We've been expecting you."

"You have?" The shy young woman stutters out as she enters the house.

"Yeap. You're going to be living with Miss Summers. We've been waiting for you." He smiles warmly at her. He steps out and carries her bags in. "The new house won't be ready for another month, so this is it."

"Hey, who's that?" Dawn pops up from the couch.

"That's Tara. Miss Calendar is in the kitchen at the moment and Buffy is at Willow's house. Miss Summers is in Boston picking up the last lost cub. Hungry?"

"Oh. Uh, not really." Tara sits down, sweep up in the warmth and welcome the house exudes.


	18. Scambled Bad Eggs

Friday, January 2, 1998

"C'mon Tara! We're going to be late." Buffy calls up the stairs as she grabs the last sandwich off the platter on the dinning room table.

"But she's your mother." Tara stutters out.

"She wants to meet you as soon as possible. And then we're all going to dinner. You, me, Dawn and the one she picked up in Boston. We're a family, Tara. A real family. It doesn't matter that we're not related by blood. Right?" She smiles comfortingly.

Tara ducks her head hiding her face behind her hair. "Okay." She says, her voice soft.

"Better." Buffy smiles at her. "And the whole gang is meeting here for lunch tomorrow. It'll be your first meeting with em. Except for Cordy, anyway. But anyway, you'll meet everybody else. Well except for Xander who's been here every night so far."

"But I thought." She trails off.

"We're not throwing you into the deep end. You won't have to talk to anyone. We know how difficult it is for you. It's just that the sooner you get to know everyone, the sooner you'll start getting comfortable with us."

"I know." She looks at Buffy's chin.

Buffy looks out the window. "Oh, time to go." She grabs Tara's hand and drags her out.

* * *

Joyce exits the gate accompanied by a young girl with dark hair. Dawn jumps up and down, waving her arms overhead. "Mom! Over here!" she yells out.

"Dawn, she can hear you all the way to Sacramento." Buffy tells her resignedly. "You're embarrassing Tara." she comments.

Dawn ignores her words and leaps off the chair she was standing on and rushes at Joyce, leaping into her arms when she gets close enough. "I missed you soooo much, mommy." she piteously wails as she buries her face into Joyce's stomach.

Buffy comments to Tara "Come on. Time to meet and greet." They stand and make their way to Joyce and the other two.

Joyce looks up at their approach and smiles warmly. "Hello Buffy. And who is your companion?" she inquires gently.

"Mom, this is Tara. She was kicked out of her uncle's place early."

"You poor dear. Come here. And this attractive young woman is Faith Summers, the newest member of the family." She pulls the three into a hug with the two of them.

* * *

That evening at the Sunnydale Mall, Tara, Faith and Dawn walk past a cowboy and his girlfriend on the ground floor while Buffy, Willow, and Joyce are walking along each with a shopping bag or two along the second floor railing above.

Buffy begs her mother. " Come on, Mom, please?"

"I'm sorry, honey."

"Don't you understand how important this is?"

"It's an outfit. An outfit that you may never buy."

Willow responds "But she looked so good in it, mom."

Joyce stifles a chuckle. "You looked like a streetwalker."

"But a thin streetwalker." Buffy gets a glare from her mum. "That's probably not gonna be the winning argument, is it?"

"You're just too young to wear that, especially in public."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna be too young to wear it until I'm too old to wear it."

"That's the general idea." Joyce stops and looks around at the stores that are beginning to close. "Let's see, I still need to order the flyers for the opening." She looks thoughtful for a moment, then puts both bags in one hand as she come to a decision. "Okay. I'll stop by the printers and then gather the others at the food court, and you two can go to the tailor and pick up my outfit from Everyday Woman." She pulls out a receipt and hands it to Willow.

Willow looks at it as Buffy comments "Everyday Woman?"

"Mm-hm. And the faster you go, the faster you can eat."

Buffy "Why didn't you just go to Muu-Muus R Us?"

"Do now, make fun of your mother later." Joyce walks off, shaking her head.

Buffy reluctantly heads for the tailor with a cheery Willow.

As the two get on the escalator to go to the ground floor. Buffy looks around idly as they descends. She sees the cowboy and his girlfriend come up the other escalator. She keeps looking around, and then notices that the cowboy's reflection is missing from the mirrors that line the escalator corridor. She looks back at the couple, and he is indeed there. Immediately she whispers in Willow's ear "Vamp." and turns and runs back up the escalator, weaving between the people coming down on it behind her.

Willow watches her girlfriend rush off, shaking her head with a faint grin on her lips.

Back on the walkway, the cowboy and the girl go around a corner. Buffy walks quickly to catch up, following into a back hallway. Buffy slowly walks past a bank of payphones by the restrooms and looks around for them, apparently having lost them. She continues down the hall when the sounds of a pinball machine draw her attention to a nearby door. Reaching the rear door of the arcade she sees that the metal gate has been forced open. She quietly squeezes through the narrow gap an into the nearly deserted arcade, where she walks around one side of a bank of game machines.

The cowboy says "Turn around, baby, I've got somethin' to show ya."

The girl answers "Wait a sec. This is my high score."

Buffy eases around a row of game machines to see a girl hammering away at the flipper controls. The cowboy takes off his hat and comes up behind the girl, taking her hair and sweeping it away from her neck as he vamps out. "Well, ain't you just got the prettiest little neck I ever did see."

He moves in for the bite, but is interrupted by Buffy. "Boy, you guys really never come up with any new lines, do you?" her voice full of annoyance.

The two of them look over at Buffy, annoyed. The girl asks "Do you mind? We were talking here."

Buffy stares down the vampire. "But you promised you'd never cheat on me again, honey."

The girl pulls her bag onto her arm and mutters "Um, I better go." before hastening from the scene.

"Alright, sugar lips." He puts on his hat and faces off with Buffy. "Giddy-up!"

He throws a punch at Buffy, but she blocks it and punches him in the face, followed by the noticeable crack of bone breaking. A kick to the crotch follows, sending him to the floor grabbing his groin, and Buffy slams him into another pinball machine. He looks up at her and gives her an evil yet wan smile.

"Well, you're a rough one, ain't cha! I like that!" he blusters.

He forces himself to his feet and comes at her again with a swing, which she readily blocks it. A second swing is ducked. He grabs her by the arms and throws her into a pinball machine. The top and back glass on the panel shatter as she smashes into it. The cowboy rushes over and grabs her by the straps of her backpack."You must be that Slayer I've been hearin' so much about. Lyle Gorch. Pleased to meet cha!"

Buffy inserts her leg between them and kicks him off of her. He flies into another machine and bounces off it and onto the floor on the other side. "Pleasure's mine, greenhorn!" She jumps onto the machine he bounced off of and kicks at him. He ducks and rolls out of the way. She spins around to face him and has a stake in her hand, up and ready.

Lyle rolls up to his feet, grabbing his hat in midair along the way, and puts it back on. He points at her. He spins around and skedaddles out of there, calling out as he leaves "This ain't over!"

"Oh, sure. They say they'll call." she complains as she dusts herself off.

* * *

Buffy comes walking into the food court and spots Willow, her mom and new sisters at a couple of tables with their food, waiting for her. Joyce stares at the food, looking bored and watching it get cold. She looks up as Buffy arrives.

Buffy comments "Oh, bliss. Mall food." She sits next to Willow who looks up grinning.

Joyce looks at her. "Buffy?"

"Mum?"

"What was it this time?"

Willow answers for her. "Vamp."

Joyce smiles. "Did you get it?"

"No. I kept it from feeding but he ran off before I could dust him."

Joyce leans back. "Buffy... You did your best."

Tara looks up and exhales. "What d...do you mean by vamp?"

Buffy looks at her and grimaces. "Vampire."

Willow inquires gently "Do you mind if we wait to discuss it at school on Monday? There are others that are involved in this."

Dawn looks over. "What cha taking about? C'mon, tell me, ppplleeeeaaassse." she whines.

Joyce looks at Dawn. What till you're fourteen, dear. Then we'll tell you, Okay?" She gently smiles at Dawn who acquiesces with a small nod of her head.

Faith looks around. "Are you guys crazy?" she blurts out.

"You can decide for yourself on Monday." Buffy replies. "We'll meet in the library at lunch."

* * *

Monday, January 5, 1998

Buffy and Willow walk hand in hand to school while Joyce left early with Tara and Faith to ensure that there was time to complete their enrollment and complete the paper work.

Principal Snyder looks at the two girls and sneers. "Watch your step around here, Miss Summers, Miss McClay, I'm keeping my eye on both of you, and your entire group."

Tara replies for both "We will, Mr. Snyder." Her stutter appeases his need to be in charge, to enforce his brand of discipline. Faith just rolls her eyes and says nothing.

"Just remember that I'm watching." He shoos them out of the office while glaring at them.

As they start down the hall, Buffy, Willow and Xander come up behind them. "Hey guys." Willow cheerfully greets them. Xander has changed to less extreme fashion choices.

Faith mutters "Why do I have to go to school?"

"Because that's the condition mom insisted on. Besides, you're only sophomore, you still have drivers training to go."

"Buffy, don't sneak up on me like that." She turns and sees Xander. "And who's this?"

"Faith, this is Xander. Xander, Faith, the newest Summers." Buffy introduces the two.

Faith gives Xander an appraising look, noticing obvious benefits of their workout schedule upon his formerly wimpy physique. "Lookin good there, X. Got a girlfriend?" She asks, licking her lips as she winks at him.

"Unfortunately for you, my Lady, I do." Xander gives her a bow, removing an imaginary hat in a flourish. He spots Cordelia near the utility closet down the side corridor. "And now if you will excuse me, I have things to attend to."

The four girls watch him walk to Cordy from the corner. The two of them slip into the closet, while trying to remain unnoticed. Buffy grins wickedly. "Willow, are you still the president of the we hate Cordelia club?"

"Yeppers. And I see we have some business to take care of." She smiles.

* * *

Inside the unlit closet, Xander and Cordelia are making out. She moans through the kissing "Xander?" He shushes her but she continues "It's just that I'm worried we're gonna miss class." She continues kissing

He reaches up and grabs the light string and gives it a sharp jerk turn. They step back a bit from each other in the now lit closet. "You know what? This would work a lot better for me if you didn't talk."

"Well, it'd work better for me with the lights off." She grabs the string and yanks it. She puts her arms around him again and starts to kiss him, but Xander doesn't kiss back.

He jerks on the string again and the light comes back on. They step away from each other again. "Are you saying that you can't look at me when we do... whatever it is we do?"

"No, it's not that I can't, it's just more... I don't want to. I'll admit that you're looking better then I thought, though.

"That's great! That's just dandy! We're not exactly repulsed by each other, but we still hide from our friends..." He indicates the door.

"Well, I should hope so! Please!"

Xander nods. "All in all this is not what I'd call a big self-esteem booster."

Cordelia looks him over. "Tell me about it! Just look at you. Uh, when did you start dressing halfway decent."

"Okay, you know what? I don't," He takes a moment to calm himself down. "Damn hormones."

"Ditto! Like a hole in the head!"

They both reach for the doorknob, and their hands lightly make contact. They hesitate for a moment, and then wrap their arms around each other again and kiss even more passionately. Xander cradles her head in his hand as they slowly sink to the floor. He reaches up for the string and turns the light out.

* * *

The health class instructor is writing 'SEX' on the chalkboard. Mr. Whitmore begins to lecture as he turns to face the class. "S-E-X. Sex. The sex drive in the human animal is intense. How many of us have lost countless productive hours plagued by unwanted sexual thoughts and feelings?"

Xander raises his hand and nods. "Yes! Mm-hm."

Willow gives him a concerned look.

"That was a rhetorical question, Mr. Harris, not a poll."

Several students, including a red faced Tara, giggle. Xander lowers his hand. "Oh."

Cordelia studiously avoids noticing him by staring down at her book.

Mr. Whitmore drones on. "Of course, for teenagers such as yourselves these feelings are even more overwhelming. With all sorts of hormones surging..."

Willow is clearly nervous, and looks back and forth between Xander and giving her attention to the teacher. Buffy has noticed Willow's nervousness and rests her hand on Willow's shoulder in an effort to calm her.

Mr. Whitmore " ...through your bodies, compelling you to action, it's often difficult to remember that there are negative consequences to, uh, having sex. Would anyone care to offer one such consequence?"

Cordelia raises her hand, and Mr. Whitmore indicates to her, giving her the floor.

"Well, that depends. Are you talking about sex in the car or out of the car? Because I have a friend, not me, that was in a Miata at, parked at the top of the hill, and then she kicked the gearshift, and, and..."

Mr. Whitmore looks confused at her story and interrupts. "Yeah, I, I was thinking of something a little more commonplace, Ms. Chase."

Xander raises his hand, and Mr. Whitmore indicates to him. Willow stares at him in concern while leaning back into Buffy's hand.

"You wanna talk negative consequence? What about the heartbreak of halitosis?" Cordelia glares at him and he looks back. "I mean, a girl may seem spiffy, but if she ignores her flossing the bloom is definitely off the rose."

Cordelia immediately raises her hand again and receives permission to speak again. "Like that compares to kissing a guy who thinks the Hoover technique is a big turn-on."

Willow looks back and forth between the two of them, very confused. Buffy leans forward and whispers to her. "Poetic justice." The loud exchange begins to draw muffled comments from among the other students.

Xander: "What about having to feign interest in her vapid little chit-chat just so you can get some touch?"

Cordelia is incensed.

Mr. Whitmore: "Now. Another consequence of sexual activity? Anyone?"

Cordelia raises her hand again.

Mr. Whitmore: "Uh, else?"

Willow raises her hand. He indicates that she should speak "How about pregnancy? That would be a major one, right?"

"Thank you, Ms. Rosenberg!" Willow smiles smugly. "Among teens unwanted pregnancy is the number one negative consequence of sexual activity. So, as discussed last week, I present you with your offspring. You will split into parenting teams. You and your partner will share equally in the daily task of raising your egg. Now, please choose a partner and come pick up your children." While he speaks, he reveals two trays of eggs under a sheet. He takes a tray of eggs to begin distribution.

Willow turns to Buffy. "Wanta have a child with me?" she asks, smiling.

"Sure thing, sweety." Buffy replies, smiling back.

Xander gets up to go over to Cordelia but she sees him coming and immediately grabs the shirt sleeve of the boy sitting across from her to get his attention. "You wanna have a baby?"

Xander shakes his head disappointed. He sees another girl walk up to the second tray of eggs still on the teacher's desk and approaches her. He chuckles. "Hey. I know we just met, but no one should have to raise a child alone. Shall I join you?"

The girl giggles and smiles and turns around to walk away. Xander gives Cordelia another glance, then follows the other girl.


	19. Boiled Bad Eggs

Lunch time at the library. Jesse walks over to the card catalog, pulls out a drawer and begins going through the cards. Giles is in the cage behind him. Xander opens the door for the two girls and they come on.

Willow calls out to him. "Hey, Jesse! Why weren't you in class?"

He looks up, clearly surprised at the passage of time "Lunch time already?"

Buffy replies "Yeap. So what's up?"

"I was," He grimaces wistfully "checking the information on Ted. Did Mr. Whitmore notice I was tardy?"

Xander "I think the word you're searching for is 'absent'."

Willow "Tardy people show."

Buffy "Right."

"And, yes, he did notice, so he wanted me to give you this." Willow hands him an egg.

Jesse holds his egg up to the light and peers at it intently. "As far as punishments go this is fairly abstract."

Willow smiles broadly. "No, it's your baby!"

Jesse looks confused. "Okay, I get it even less now."

Xander speaks up. "Well, you know, it's the whole 'sex leads to responsibility' thing, which I personally don't get. You gotta take care of the egg. It's a baby. You gotta keep it safe and teach it Christian values."

Willow looks from Xander to Buffy. She whispers into Buffy's ear.

Whatever you want, Wills." Buffy answers, smiling.

"Our egg is Jewish." Willow announces proudly to the group.

Xander smirks at the couple. "Then teach it that Dreidel song."

Willow smiles at that.

Buffy looks at Willow, a look of realization and fear crossing her face. "I can't do this, Will! I can't take care of things! I killed my Giga Pet. Literally, I sat on it and it broke." She sets their egg down on top of the catalog, moans and quickly walks over to a book re-shelving cart.

She walks up behind Buffy and starts to massage her shoulders. "You'll do fine!" Willow encourages her.

Xander looks at the sight, a glazed look passing across his face for a moment before he shakes himself and turns away from the two. He notices Jesse staring at them at comments loud enough to draw his attention. "Yeah, the only thing that stresses me is when do we tell them that they're adopted?"

Jesse starts and looks over at him, "I'll just lay that one off on my partner." He looks up, suddenly worried. "Who'd I get?"

Willow glances at them. "Well, there were an uneven number of students since Tara is in class with us too, and you didn't show, so..."

Jesse in shocked disbelief. "I'm a single father?"

Xander nods sadly. "No woman of his own."

Jesse looks around, trying not meet anyone's gaze. "Do you know what this says about me? That I'm doomed to lead Ted's life!" He paces back to them. "How deeply scary is that?"

Xander "How 'bout this: it says nothing, it means nothing, this whole egg experiment thing is completely pointless!"

Giles from inside the cage chooses that moment to speak. "Success! At last. Your playmate is a fellow of repute, it seems, Buffy." He walks out with a book. He moves to set the book on top of her egg. She quickly snatches it away with a inhalation of fright. Jesse and Xander look on in wide-eyed surprise. Giles points out a picture in the book. "That's Lyle Gorch, and that one's his brother, Tector. They're from Abilene. They, uh, they made their reputation by massacring an entire Mexican village in 1886." He takes off his glasses and begins to polish them.

Buffy raises an eyebrow. "Friendly little demons."

Giles "That was before they became vampires."

She raises the other eyebrow at Giles. Jesse, Willow and Xander exchange a look.

"But, um, the good news is that they're not amongst the great thinkers of our times. I doubt if they're up to much. They're probably just drawn here by the Hellmouth's energy. But according to Angel, they've recruited a gang of their own recently." He puts his glasses back on.

Xander "'Nuff said! I propose Buffy slays 'em. All in favor?" He raises his hand.

Willow raises her hand. "Aye!"

"I don't think you should underestimate them. I mean, you may need to have some help if, if, if..." Giles notices the eggs. "Why do you all have eggs?"

Willow smiles broadly. "Hey, maybe you can have Angel help you find the Gorches."

Giles is still confused. "Yes! Yes, yes, that's not a bad idea. Strength in numbers."

Xander smirks. "Oh, right. I see a lotta hunting getting done in that scenario."

Buffy "That's not a bad idea, Giles."

Tara and Faith choose that moment to walk in. "Uh Hi." Tara's voice carries in the otherwise awkward silence.

"Not at all. Come on in." Buffy warmly greets them. "Hey Giles, it's time to start your speech." She calls over to him.

He looks at the two and ushers them to seats at the table. "This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their... their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magics, certain creatures..."

* * *

That night, Angel and Buffy are walking through a park.

Buffy starts to talk. "I really..."

Angel: "I know."

They continue walking along. After a few seconds Buffy starts to speak and breaks off again. Shaking her head, "You know, this isn't hunting in the classical sense. We should..."

Angel: "You're right."

They continue to walk along. A few moments later they come to a halt again.

Angel "Okay."

Buffy "Okay. Okay."

They walk side by side for a few paces.

Buffy "You see anything?"

Angel "No."

Buffy turns to face him. "Okay. Enough with the hunting. You haven't been around much recently."

"I've been around. I stayed away so that you and Willow could start your relationship without my interference." He turns to look away from her. "I was, no, I am jealous. I know here." He point to his head "that we wouldn't work out. But there's a part of me that wants to make you mine. I live with the demon and I had no idea how much influence it had. And it wants you to suffer however it can. Ever if the only pain it can cause you is emotionally. We can't be lovers, but we can be friends.

"Thanks, Angel, for thinking of me." She hugs him.

Away from them among the trees are the Gorch brothers are crouched on top of a wall, watching them.

Tector asks "That the Slayer?"

"Yep."

"Ain't that Angelus with her?"

"Yep."

"Well, how come she ain't slayin'? And how come he's foolin around wit the slayer?"

"Well, I don't know, Tector. And how come you's always askin' me so many stupid questions?"

"So, you wanna take him, or, uh, you want me to, Lyle?"

"I say we leave it. Wait till she's alone."

"Why? You scared?

"'Nope. I could whip 'em both right now if I wanted to."

"Then why don't ya?"

Lyle looks at Tector. "Cause I got me a plan. I'm the one that does the thinkin', 'member? Sides, the rest of the gang oot to be here soon enough."

"Yeah. You do the thinkin', Lyle. That is definitely your department. So why don't you tell me again why we can't kill 'em now? And why we gotta wait."

* * *

Buffy walks into the bedroom she's sharing with her mom for the next two weeks and over to the bed. "Okay, little egg dude." She sits on the covers and opens her egg diary and begins to read. "Let's see. Feeding? Check." She sets action to word as she makes a mark. "Burping? Eeeew... Check. Diapers" She looks at the egg resting in it's basket. "Sort of, in theory, I guess." After a last mark, she places the pen in the binder coil. "Okay." She sets the notepad down and crawls under the covers. She yawns and looks at her egg in its basket on her night stand. "Good night, Eggbert." She taps her egg gently and then reaches up to turn off the light. She pulls up the covers and settles in to sleep.

Time passes by in the bedroom. A look across her stuffed animals arranged on one side of her bed, past her and over to the egg revealing the clock which reads 2:03am. The egg begins to rock back and forth. Closing in on it, we see a small hole has almost been chipped out. The plug breaks open, and a long, thin, grayish tentacle begins to make its way out. It angles over towards Buffy and branches out into several fingers as it makes its way over to her. One of its fingers goes into her ear. Another one lays itself across her left eye. A third one covers her right eye. Another goes around her neck and presumably into her other ear. Joyce slips into the room, ready for bed. She looks at Buffy lying there with the tentacles that are now just lying on her face and grimaces.

* * *

The sewers the next morning where the Gorch brothers are relaxing and waiting out the sunlight that is shining at the end of the tunnel. Tector is draining a rat while Lyle is lying back with his feet up and has his face covered with his hat.

Tector whines "I'm tired of rat. How come we can't stay in a nice place?" He puts the dead rat down. "A motel or somethin'? Maybe, uh... Maybe one with an ice machine."

"Cause we got to keep a low profile till we get this Slayer business taken care of."

"Well, how come Angelus is gettin' all cuddly with her, Lyle? I mean, does the man have no code?"

Lyle rouses from his rest and leans up on his elbow. "Tector... You gonna be pesterin' me with these questions all damn day?"

"I just don't like it here. Ain't a decent whore in the whole city limits."

Lyle stands up and stares at his brother. "So, this is the thanks I get? Well. Don't I take care of ya? Didn't I near raise ya myself? Hmm? Burden that you were, maybe I shoulda left you on that doorstep when Momma blew town."

"Don't say that, Lyle."

"Now I'm takin' care of this."

"You afraid of the girl?"

"I'm just playin' it safe. We're just gonna follow her around a little while, find our time, wait for the others. 'Cause this ain't over."

Tector smiles to himself in anticipation. "I think you are afraid of the Slayer."

Lyle nods. "Alright. I'm gonna beat you like a redheaded stepchild. Throw your ass out in that sunlight. C'mon." He points toward the light.

Tector: "You think you can?"

Lyle goads him on. "Giddy-up, son." He adjusts his hat and coat while he waits for Tector to stand up who adjusts his hat, too, and smiles at his brother. He rears back and takes the first swing, hitting Lyle squarely in the jaw. Lyle looks at his brother, nods and punches him hard in the face. Tector has to take a couple of steps backward to keep from losing his balance.

Tector laughs. "Oh, man!"

He comes back and punches Lyle in the gut. Lyle doubles over for an instant, then straightens up and gives Tector a wide smile. "Yippe-ki-yay, matey!" he calls out before throwing another punch at his brother.

* * *

Meanwhile, Buffy lies in bed, her stuffed animals beside her. The tentacle has disappeared. Suddenly, her alarm goes off, waking her from her uneasy slumber. She reaches out to hit the snooze button. She runs her hand through her hair while sitting up and moans. "Oh... Oh, God..."

She forces herself up and out of the bed. The egg rests innocently in it's basket.

Down in the kitchen, Joyce takes a sip of her coffee and sets the cup back down. She goes over to the toaster as Buffy shuffles in. She sets her egg down on the island and walks around to where her mother was sitting. She takes the cup and sips the coffee as she sits down on the stool. Joyce brings the toast over to the island on a plate.

Joyce looks at her oldest daughter. "At least eat something if you're gonna drink that."

"Not that hungry."

Joyce breaks off a piece of toast and munches it. She indicates the egg. "How's the parenting going?"

"Fine."

"Are you sure your egg is secure in that?"

Buffy looks up at her in annoyance. "Did I ask for backseat mommying?"

Joyce gives her a myserious look. "Are we a little touchy this morning?"

"No, I just feel all funky."

Joyce feels her forehead. "Hmm. You don't have a fever."

"Oh, no, it's not that, I just... I didn't sleep well."

Joyce bends down to her daughter. "What's the matter? Your egg keep you up all night?"

Buffy gives her mom a look of annoyance. "You're killing me. Parenting's a pain!"

Joyce straightens up and smiles at her. The smile swiftly turns to a frown. "May I see your egg?" she asks.

Buffy lets out an exasperated breath, picks up her egg and hands it over. "Why do you wanna see it?"

Joyce takes the egg and smiles at Buffy. She turns and drops the egg in a pot of boiling water on the stove. Buffy screeches "Why'da do that, mom?" as she rushes toward the stove.

Joyce reaches out and grabs Buffy as she rushes by and picks her up. Buffy struggles futilely for a moment in her mothers strong arms before she ceases, resigning the egg to it's fate. Why?" She cries out, piteously.

Joyce holds her for several minutes before she reaches over and takes a large spoon and removes the egg. She cracks the egg and removes the shell to reveal a dull purplish-gray thing with tentacles curled up inside. "I saw it's tentacles across your face last night. If I had disturbed it last night, you might have suffered serious brain damage. As it is, it looks about a day from fully hatching."

Tara and Faith walk in to the kitchen. "Good morning." Tara begins before trailing off as she sees what Joyce is holding.

Faith goes directly for "Shit, what is that thing?"

Joyce looks at them and simply asks, "Any more eggs?"

Tara hesitantly removes the one she is tending to and pass it to Joyce, who holds it up and looks intently at it for a moment before dropping it into the boiling water. She turns to the girls and begins to explain.

* * *

In the library, Giles is returning various books to the shelves. He walks out from behind the stacks to see Xander, Willow, Buffy, Tara and Jesse looking up at him from the bottom of the steps. "Oh! Why are you five hanging about? Don't you have classes to go to?"

Willow fills him in. "Teen health got canceled."

Xander cheerfully explains. "Mr. Whitmore's out. Couldn't find an egg sitter or something."

Buffy and Willow walk up a few steps.

Giles: "Well, then, can you give me a hand?"

Buffy, Tara and Jesse reply "No."

They sit down on the steps. Xander hops up the steps to the mezzanine level. "Sure!" as he begins to shelve some of the books.

Giles inquires over his shoulder "How did the, um... hunt go last night, Buffy?"

"No go."

"Uh, 'no', 'no' you didn't go, or, or, or you were unsuccessful?"

"No Gorches."

Xander "Apparently Buffy has decided the problem with the English language is all those pesky words." He looks at her. "You... Angel... big... excitement?"

"Shut... up."

Giles "It's true, Buffy, you, Tara and Jesse do seem a little sluggish. Are you quite sure everything's alright?"

They exchange a look. Tara removes a clear plastic container from her pack and hands it to Willow while Buffy starts talking. "Mom boiled our eggs because of the little monsters in them. She gave me some notes for you to use in your search." She takes several pages from her books and set them on the table.

Giles looks over and sets the books down. He walks over and takes the container from Willow and opens it and looks inside. "How... What is it?'

"The offspring of some kind of underground parasite. The eggs look normal but hatch out these things. They can get on a guys back and can control them, like a people puppet." Buffy answers.

Tara continues "We think that Mr. Whitmore passed these thing out in health class to everyone, so..."

Willow grasps the point. "We should check all the eggs that we can."

Jesse looks at his egg, sitting quietly in it's basket. "Could you check mine?" he asks, clearly forcing himself to consider the idea.

Giles looks up from his inspection of the larva. "Of course, Jesse. Xander, we should examine your's as well.

Xander takes his egg out of his shirt pocket and starts tossing it around.

Willow looks on in obvious concern. "Xander, maybe you shouldn't..."

Xander interrupts her, smiling. "That's exactly what I'm talking about." He tosses the egg. "You can't stress over every little thing!" He catches and tosses the egg again, but misses the next catch. The girls gasp in fright as the egg hits the floor. Giles lets out a yelp, too, but then stares at the egg curiously. It just wobbles to a stop, unbroken.

Willow cries out, surprised. "It didn't break! How come it didn't break?" Her expression turns suspicious.

Xander realizes he's been found out and decides to come clean. "Which is another secret to conscientious egg care: pot of scalding water and about eight minutes."

Willow smirks. "You boiled your young?"

Xander gulps. "Umm, yes, I did." He says queitly before reaching down and picking his egg up.

"Technically that would be cheating, yes?" Giles reaches up to put a book on a high shelf. At the back of the shelf there's an egg.

Xander: "All right already. It's cheating, okay."

Willow shakes her head, but Buffy catches the humor twinkling in her eyes. "You should be ashamed."

Giles "I suppose there is a sort of... Machiavellian ingenuity to your transgression."

Xander "I thank you, G-man."

Cordelia comes walking into the library with Amy following her. "Figures you all would be hanging in the dungeon while something major's going on at Sunnydale High." Cordy comments.

"And what would that be, Cordelia? Barrette Appreciation Day?" Xander goes back to his shelving.

Cordelia "Mr. Whitmore didn't show today."

Buffy "That news is of the past."

Cordelia "He's missing? Presumed dead?"

Giles "Presumed by whom?"

"Well, me!" She crosses her arms pointedly.

Giles pauses before he speaks. "I think we should start looking for him. With him handing these things" He lifts the container to emphasize, their mother may be around here. Any ideas on where to look."

Buffy interjects "Mom said the big ones are underground so I say... basement."

Cordelia: "Well, I think we should look around, don't you Xander?"

Xander looks at her and nods his head. "It can't wait. We'll start looking around." He points at Buffy and Willow as he comes down the stairs. "You guys look for more clues. We'll meet back here." He takes Cordelia by the arm and guides her out of the library.

Buffy enthusiastically "We'll get right on it."

Willow stares after them. "Are they getting weirder? Have you noticed the weirdness of them?" She looks at Buffy.

Buffy: "They're weird. Lets go. We'll take a look downstairs. But if he got them somewhere else, we'll have a hard time finding them." She takes Willow's hand and they walk out of the library.

Giles looks at the other three. They look back and say "Research."

He sets the container down and picks up the papers Buffy left. "Lets begin then, shall we?"


	20. Bad Eggs Benedict

Afternoon, Tuesday, January 6, 1998

Buffy and Willow come walking along the school hallway to the basement door. Buffy opens it carefully while Willow keeps an eye out for Snyder or another teacher. They quietly slip through the door and descend the stairs. In the basement, they come down the steps making an attempt to be stealthy. The doors to the boiler room are unsecured and ajar. The two girls slip into the room and look around in the dim light. Willow reaches out around the door until she locates the switch. She flips the light switch, but it fails to illuminate the chamber.

Buffy pulls out a small flashlight and turns it on and continues into the room, Willow close behind her. The lights from boiler controls and the fires burning with throw strange flickers and drafts throughout the room.

When they walk past the boilers, Buffy notices a man sized hole broken through the concrete wall behind a stacked up pile of barrels and boxes. She slowly walks over to the stack, and finding no one there, she hands Willow the light and moves aside a stack of boxes blocking the way. A rough tunnel carved into the concrete wall continuing on beyond lay revealed. She steps up to look through the hole with Willow keeping watch behind. Beyond the forbidding entrance, she sees Mr. Whitmore using a pick to dig through the concrete floor. She silently backs up and replaces the concealment in front of the wall. She turns to Willow and takes her hand. "Bingo." she quietly whispers into her ear before taking the red head's hand and leading her out of the boiler room.

* * *

Meanwhile in the library, Giles and Tara are looking through his books. Faith has since entered the library and is paying attention. Tara innocently asks him "Do things like this happen here often?"

"Sometimes. Oh I suppose that it would be more accurate to say more often then naught. It's the Hellmouth. It attracts all manner of things.

Faith notices the books lying on the catalog and starts paging through them. "'Bristow's Demon

Index', 'Hell's Offspring'?"

Giles takes the books. "We're researching the eggs. If you'd care to assist us, Faith?" He queries.

She nods. "Got nothin better to do till class." She shakes her head in amusement.

"Something you want to talk about?"

"It's just that I never expected to be in school again. After I left my mom, I decided that I was gonna to do it by myself. But Mrs. S. is some piece of work, ain't she, Giles?"

Tara comments. "She seems to be able to convince just about anyone to go along with her."

"I'm not surprised. She hasn't attempted it with me but I doubt that I could resist her without a firm rational. Has she mentioned her past to either of you?" They both shake their heads to indicate that she hasn't. "I'm not surprised. She does seem to have a lot of irons in the fire. I'll tell you what I know while we look, then. Agreed?"

"Yep"

"Okay."

"She is older then I know." He recounts what parts of Joyce's story that he knows as they continue their research, to the two girls interest.

* * *

Near the end of lunch, Buffy and Willow come rushing in, calling out Giles' name.

"What's the matter, girls?"

Willow bursts forth excitedly with "We saw Mr. Whitmore in the basement from the boiler room. He was using a pick on the floor. Did you find anything yet?"

"I did indeed." Giles pointedly looks at the clock. "But it's time for you to get to class. I'll see all of you after school then."

"Sure thing Giles." Buffy calls out as the group begins to make their way out of the library.

After school, the full group gathers in the library. Giles looks over the nine others, realizing just how many people have been recruited into their group. Buffy and Willow sit together holding hands at the table, waiting patiently for him to begin. Xander is beside them, quietly talking to Jesse. Amy and Jenny are trying to engage Tara in conversation. Cordelia sits at the table, a fashion magazine laying open on the table before her. Faith sits nearby, not comfortable with her membership in this strange little group.

Giles looks down at the counter before him where there are several books lying open. "We're dealing with a bezoar. It is a parasite from before our recorded history. The mother hibernates underground, laying eggs. The offspring then attach themselves to a host, taking control of their motor functions through neural clamping." He takes one of the books and hands it to Faith. "Here's a sketch of one. As you can see, it appears as a disk-shaped, tentacled creature."

Xander looks around. "Okay, so what are we gonna to do about it?" He drawls.

Buffy looks around at the rest of the group, considering the situation. "First of all, we need to kill this bozo-er. Second, we need to keep the young from getting loose. Third, we need to keep Mr. Whitmore alive and hopefully safe. We have the nine of us and we can call on Angel for help. And the sooner we can deal with this, the better off we'll be. So, any ideas?"

Willow smiles and turns to the computer and calls up the plans for the school basement. She prints out a copy and places them on the table. Buffy looks over them and points out where they saw their teacher. The rest of the group begin to ask questions and make suggestions.

* * *

In the basement, Giles and Jenny lead the group armed mostly with swords and axes to the hole and step through, one by one. Buffy takes the lead as they head down the tunnel and come out into another room deeper underground.

As they enter the far room, Buffy rushes ahead and tackle Mr. Whitmore, bearing him to the cold floor. Giles and Jenny head to the side ramp that leads to a slightly lower level and take up position by the wooden egg boxes. Xander and Jesse follow Buffy and restrain the teacher and escort him to the entrance. Willow removes the laser rifle from her shoulder and moves until she can get a clear shot at the mother bezoar still trapped under the concrete while the rest stand guard at the tunnel entrance. Faith, Tara and Amy hang back and watch the tunnel entrance as well as providing an over watch of the room.

Willow fire the laser and watches as a puff of flesh erupts from the bezoar. Waiting a moment to see just how much damage has occurred, she sighs in disappointment at the small injury. "This isn't going to work guys." she calls out.

Buffy walks over beside the hole. The mother bezoar opens one of it's many eyes and looks up at her. It snaps a tentacle around her ankles and begins to pull her in. Buffy unsheathes her sword as the creature reels her in. The group look up from their tasks in the silence.

The moment of silence is broken by slashing and hissing sounds and bezoar screams emanating from the pit. Giles cautiously steps closer for a better look. The bezoar lets out a dying scream and an eye closes. A hatchling falls from Mr. Whitmore, who collapses to the floor unconscious. The rest of them guardedly step toward the edge and look in. A sword comes flying out and lands on the floor next to Jesse who jumps back in surprise. A hand covered with slime comes out of the pit. Another hand follows, and Buffy pulls herself up and out, her cloths dripping slime. She stands up and faces the group.

She drops her sword and stakes her head, sending goo flying. "Well, that's done. And I really need a shower." She looks at the gang. "So, what now, watcher mine?"

"We need to dispose of the eggs. Willow, you take Buffy to the showers. Jenny, you and I will take him to the teachers lounge." He gesture at the unconscious instructor. "Meanwhile, the rest of you, start smashing eggs."

"Right Giles."

* * *

In the sewer tunnels near the high school, Lyle and Tector Gorch look over their assembled gang. "Al righty boys, we're goin to git us a slayer." Lyle calls out.

The dozen vampires applaud and holler in approval when a disturbance from down the tunnel attracts their attention. A human looking figure walks out of the darkness. He raises his head and looks at the assemble vampires and asks "Do any of you know where I can find the master vampire of the town?"

One of them speaks up "Ya mean Spike? He's at the old factory."

After the directions, the figure smiles "Thank you. And now I', afraid that I have to destroy you." He manifests shimmering white wings and a flaming sword and lays into them. The sword slices through arms, necks and into torsos, leaving flaming ruin behind. After a short and yet vicious display of skill and carnage, fourteen vampires float to the tunnel floor as ash and dust. And yet, in the carnage, Lyle Gorch get's a lucky blow in and dislodges the orb taken from the Vatican vaults. It falls to the floor and is swiftly hidden from view in the water and the muck.

* * *

Wednesday, January 7, 1997

Quintin Travers looks up from his notes as a tweed garbed man walks in. "Ah, Hobson, there you are. We've decided that the present slayer is to be tested early. Make your preparations for a trip to Sunnydale. We're leaving in two days."

"But why sir?" He asks nervously.

"It has come to our attention that Miss Summers has the memories of Isabella Rosellinia, a young woman that traveled with the slayer Rebecca in the seventeenth century. She witnessed all of Rebecca's service, including her crucimentium."

"I understand, sir." He turns and departs, already considering what needs to be done.


	21. Making Plans

Early AM, Thursday, January 8, 1997

Later that night, Spike sits in his wheelchair at the factory watching Drusillia have fun with her dinner when she looks up and excitedly smiles. "Oh my! The stars are speaking to me again."

"What is it, luv?" He looks up at her.

She languidly dances up to him and sit's in his lap. She puts her arms around his head and pulls it to her. "Spike, the shining man is coming to visit. We will sit and have tea with him for he's come to chase away the nasty golden shadows."

Spike runs his hand up her spine, smiling as she shivers in sensual delight. "So, when will this shining man get here then, ducks?"

"Miss Edith wants to sing for us." She shushes him before she stands "but I've covered her eyes."

"So when is this shining man going to visit, luv?" He repeats softly.

She stands and spins around. "We'll have tea and crumpets with him." She turns to a nearby minion and commands. "Go set the table. And use the good china." She leans over and kisses Spike passionately. And then sweet and girlishly "Mummy says to be on your best behavior."

"Right then. You heard her. Set the table and set out the good china. And if we don't have any, then you go out and bloody well get some. Now move!" He orders, sending the minions scattering.

* * *

Meanwhile, in New York City, the Bronx. Kendra runs through the alley, keeping to the shadows as her pursuers stumble after her. She holds her right arm tight against her chest, her left hand clamped tightly upon the deep cut in her forearm, preventing her blood from freely flowing but marking her trail for the vampires that follow behind the gangsters chasing her. She stumbles on the garbage strewn pavement, sending unseen trash rattling. Gun fire rings forth from behind her as bullets speed by. The fusillade of bullets doesn't leave her unscathed however. Enough strike her to send blood spraying from her back. The ring she wears gleams in the dull light, robbing the bullets of most of their energy just before they impact. She stumbles and forces herself to her feet. The rumbling of a moving train draws her attention. She changes direction for it in a desperate hope. She reaches the sunken tracks as the end of train approaches. In desperation, she leaps for it and manages to land on the next to last freight car. She collapses face first in exhaustion and pain, listening as the cries of her pursuers tell the others of her temporary escape. As she crawls to the end of edge of the car, looking for an open door to crawl in, she whispers to herself. "Sunnydale... Buffy... help."

* * *

Spike looks over the table, wondering just why he let Dru talk him into this. Suddenly, a faint scream of agony sounds from outside. The doors swing open and an angelic being enters the room, one of Spike's minions grasped in his hand, the vampire smoking from the blessed flesh at his throat. As he watches, the neck finally burns through and his minion turns to dust.

The figure walks up to Spike and looks down at the crippled vampire. "You are the master vampire of Sunnydale?" it inquires, it's melodic voice sending shivers of terror through Spike's demon.

"I am. And who the bloody hell are you?" Spike replies, refusing to let his fear show.

Drusilla glides in and claps her hands together in glee. "He's come, he's come. The shining man is here. We'll have tea and crumpets." She grabs his chair and wheels Spike to the table. "Haven't I told you, dear, he's come to chase away the nasty golden shadows that are helping the slayer meanie."

"Well in that case luv," He glances at the angelic figure watching them with amusement, "care for some tea?"

"I accept your invitation." the figure pulls a chair out and sits across the table from the two vampires. They begin to talk and weave plots for the future.

* * *

Friday, January 9, 1998

Willow sits at the computer in the library researching on the web while waiting for Buffy after school. Jenny walks in and notices her sitting there. "Hi, Willow." she calls out.

Willow jerks her head up skittishly until she realizes who it is. "Oh, hi Miss Calendar. What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see if Rupert was here."

"He's overseeing Tara and Faith's training. He started them with some general exercise and along with the basics. He should be back in about ten minutes."

"I'll wait then. What are you doing?"

"Well since Buffy turned into someone real, I thought I'd see if either my or Xander might of done the same. But since we were from the future, I'm looking for any hints that would agree with either of our changes."

"Find anything" She sits beside Willow.

"Surprisingly enough, I did. There's a small company called Genom. Not that old but I, or rather my memories from Priss recognize the name. In fact, the company head is the same just a lot younger then I recognize. And if my memories are right, in about fifteen years or so, they'll start to really take off.

"And Xander's?"

"There are a few people that I've found that seem to match, but they're in different areas and I'll need him to look at their pictures to make sure. But if they are the same, it might give us a few contacts in the government and the military. We'll have to double check em but it's a start."

"So, what problems do we have to worry about here?"

"Wee, first there's Acathla. Someone digs it up around here. Then there's the mayor who might be trying at ascend to pure demon next year. And after that, there's a covert military operation hidden on the university campus studying demons and vampires. The then there's the hell god that wants to go home but will destroy our world to do so. Between now and the end of school, there's the swim team being doped with mutating steroids. And Oz could become a werewolf. Although Xander's going to deal with him though. And Mrs. Summers might be able to deal with the mayor without blowing up the school."

"That's all?' Jenny asks, somewhat relieved.

"That's all that Xander can remember that we haven't already dealt with. Unfortunately, it seems that other things are happening. There are rumors of an angel floating around. The council is sending a party here, but they haven't told Giles yet."

"But why?"

"Don't know. But we have our suspicions."

"So what's the biggest concern you have?" Jenny inquires. "It seems to me, at least, that things are under control."

"We're in better shape then we could be. I mean all of us are in training." She grimaces at the physical training Buffy's pushing everyone in the group to take. "We're learning things. And Mrs. Summers bought the old mansion on Crawford Street and they'll be moving in by the end of the month. But money is going to be a problem. Hospital bills, weapons, repairs and transportation, not to mention, living expenses. Right now, we can deal with problems in town. But, if for some reason we have to flee Sunnydale, we'll lose most of our resources. Since Angel is leaving at the end of the year for LA, that may give us a place to fallback if we need it."

"I see." Jenny pauses to think. "So you're building an organization for the future."

"There are other groups out there fighting with little support, few weapons and minimal training. We can help them and help ourselves, and humanity, take charge of our own destiny. All of us, the twelve of us, Miss Calendar."

* * *

Xander smiles as he listens to the band practice at the Bronze before it opens while he waits patiently until their practice is over for the day. Oz and the rest put their equipment away and prepare to leave before Xander approaches and calls out "Hey Oz. Got a minute? We need to talk."

"Sure." he replies and follows Xander to an isolated table.

Xander looks at Oz. "You've noticed that a lot of weird stuff happens here, right?"

"Yeah." Oz looks at him, as unflappable as ever.

"Remember Halloween? And how after, some people had these weird stories?" Oz nods. "Well some of those things actually happened. And I got memories of the next twenty years, or at least a version of them. Anyway, you get bitten and turn into a werewolf."

"Huh?"

Angel walks up to the two of them sitting there. "Hey Xander."

"Hey, dead boy. I'm trying to tell Oz about the.."

"About him becoming a werewolf." Angel grabs a chair and sits. "It's like this, Oz is it?" At his nod Angel continues "vampires, werewolves and demons exist. Sunnydale draws them in from around the world. And Xander here is trying to keep you from getting bit in the near future. And if you want proof, look in a mirror at me." He reaches into his coat pocket and removes a small mirror and slides it across the table to Oz.

Oz nods his head and takes the mirror and gazes within. He raises an eyebrow. "You're a..."

Angel looks around, making sure noone is close by. "I'm a vampire."

Oz shrugs his shoulders, looks at Angel's lack of a reflection. "It explains a lot." He slides the mirror back. "Why me?"

Xander looks a bit put out at Angel but continues "From what I can tell, you get infected between now and the next full moon. I think you'd prefer not to spend three nights a month as a wild animal. Just be careful. And if it does happen, we can help." With that Xander and Angel get up and leave, leaving Oz sitting there to think.


	22. A Loss Revealed

Monday, January 12, 1998

The morning sun shines over the peaceful looking town. Quintin Travers looks at the abandoned boarding house along with his two assistants. "This do just be fine. Begin your work, gentlemen. I'll visit Rupert and set the rest of it in motion."

"Very well, sir." They answer before they enter the place to begin their labor.

* * *

Kendra rolls off the freight car and makes her way out of the train yard, her stomach rumbling with need. She glances around and heads for a nearby diner for something to eat before she resumes her journey to Sunnydale. Despite the deserted appearance, she remains alert, knowing that Kakistos and his minions are still chasing her and won't give up until she is dead. Still, even a slayer needs to eat. And while she eats, she can make plans for getting to Sunnydale and help.

* * *

Willy stumbles through the sewer, nervously keeping an eye out as he returns to his bar. Suddenly, he stumbles over something buried in the muck. He reaches down and, already filthy, feels around until he uncovers a crystalline orb sitting in the muck. He picks it up and takes it with him.

Later, after he's cleaned up, he sits and looks at it. After a moment, he reaches for aa phone and dials a number. The phone rings several times before someone answers. "Ah, Mrs. Summers?.. I've found something I think you would be interested in... An Orb.. That's right... I'll bring it over this afternoon... No, I know where the gallery is... See ya then." He hangs up and smiles.

* * *

Oz walks into the library after school and glances around. Xander looks up from his homework and calls out "Hey Oz. Take a load off." while gesturing to the chair across from him. Waiting until Oz takes a seat "So what's up?"

"You said I might become a werewolf. How?"

"Ah yes. I'm now entirely sure, but it was to happen before the next full moon. You remember I said that I remembered the next twenty years?" At Oz's nod, he continues. "It was the first full moon just after Buffy's seventeenth birthday when we discovered that you were a werewolf. And since her birthday is the twentieth, whatever triggers the condition probably hasn't happened yet. If so, I can't let you go without at least giving you a heads up."

"So now what?" Oz calmly inquires.

"That depends. Do you want to help out or bury your head in the sand like almost everybody here?" Xander gestures, taking in the rest of the school "Or will you get involved? It's a dangerous choice. Most hunters don't live more then a few years. Of course most hunters don't have a decent support network either. And that is part of what we're doing."

Oz raises an eyebrow "A support system."

"It's amazing what access to a source for weapons, body armor and information can do for a group. It's less of a risk if you know what you're going up against. Take a Fyarl demon for instance. It takes silver to actually hurt it. It also has a paralyzing snot it can shoot out it's nose. While vampires on the other hand need a wooden stake in the heart or decapitation to kill. Fire'll work but crosses work better to repel em. Holy water acts like acid on them and bullets hurt but won't kill them."

"So what's required?'

"If you join us, you'll have to start training like the rest of us. It'll take up about six hours a week. You'll learn basic combat skills, magic theory and recognition, and, if you show talent and interest, you might learn to work magic. Since you're a musician, we'll skip the other six hours the rest of us spend in our fields as long as you continue to play or practice."

"I'll think about it."

"All I ask is that you try and keep this quiet. At least about our little group. See ya around, Oz."

* * *

Wednesday, January 14, 1998

Buffy walks into the library after her last class, wondering just why her watcher wanted to meet with her alone. She looks around and notices a large leather case just inside his office. Her curiosity sparked, she starts to make her way to it when she hears Giles returning. She jumps up on the counter and pretends to be bored as he walks in. "Hey Giles. What did ya want to see me for?"

He grimaces as he answers "It's time to start a new phase of your training, Buffy." He walks in and picks up the case. He escorts her to the table and continues. "It's time to teach you the mystic properties that the varied crystals have." He sets the bag before him and begins removing the crystals while he outlines the basic properties of each. And lastly, he removes a large blue crystal. "Look into it's center and focus on the flaw therein." he waits several minutes before seeing if she is aware of her surroundings.

To his surprise, she smiles back and giggles. "Really Giles. I know what this is for." She picks up the crystal. "But you of all people should know better."

"I know Buffy. But I have to obey in matters of tradition."

She looks at him and then suddenly rolls up her sleeve. "Do it before I change my mind. And you're the one who tells mom about it."She grins wickedly at his discomfiture.

"Perhaps we should just forget about this whole thing." he comments before shaking his head in negation. "This is the only way I can think of to keep them from getting any more involved than they already are. Did you know that the head of the council, Quintin Travers, personally came here to oversee the test?"

"A whole year early to. What's he wigged out about?"

"It's the prophecy of the twelve. Since it foretells both a judgement of the council and the removal of it's claim to the slayer line, he's trying everything in his power to prevent it from happening."

"It's their own fault. Trying to make the chosen one their tool, their warrior slave. They've gotten away with it for to long and it's time it bit them on the butt."

Her venom surprises him, but after a moment of reflection, he understands why. "I know and I can even agree with you. It's just that I was taught from an early age that the council was all that stood between humanity and hell, so it's going to take me some time to work through it myself. At least you have a less cluttered viewpoint to start." he removes a wooden box from the case and opens it before setting it on the table.

After the injection, just before she opens the door out, she looks back at him "I'm going to take a few days off from patrol, Giles." Then she leaves.

He sits down, and removes a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wipes the perspiration from his forehead before replacing it. He glances at the clock before getting up and spends the next half hour shelving books while waiting for Quintin to arrive for his report.

Quintin Travers strides into the library with out a glance. "Everything went as expected?"

Rupert Giles simply nods his head in agreement, unable to trust his own voice from giving anything away at the moment.

"Then she doesn't suspect anything. Good. We were worried that she might have some memories from her possession. And we can't risk that, not now. But of course, you know that as well as I do."

"Is there anything I should be aware of or keeping a watch for?"

"There are rumors of some ancient power waking from it's eons old slumber. A being of the outer realms and you know what that means. We can't have that with the new order this close."

* * *

Willy nervously walks into the gallery for his meeting with Mrs. Summers. She greats him and shows him to her office. After a few minutes, he leaves, heavier in wallet. He glances over his shoulder at the closed door and silently swears to never do anything to offend her.

Inside, Joyce looks at the orb resting on her desk and smiles. She stands, picks up the orb and turns into a shadow which rapidly shrinks to a vertical line and disappears.

* * *

The factory. The angel tears through the contents in a desperate search for his missing orb. Spike and Drusillia warily watch from concealment until he speaks out in a voice that made them want to leap out and obey. "I won't hurt you. But I do need to find that orb.

Dursillia speaks in a sing song voice "The one the slayers mummy has, the one that seals her powers away. Eleven left and one broken."

The angel looks startled. "It binds the slayer's mom? But that means..." He whirls to the scattered minions. "We attack tonight just after sunset. Go and gather the rest."


	23. Twisted Feathers, Broken Orbs

Buffy hummed as she walked up the walk to Willow's house and rang the doorbell. She causally glanced around until Willow's father opened the door. "Hi, Mr. Rosenberg."

"Hello Buffy. Willow is still getting ready. We weren't expecting you until six." He stands aside and lets her in with an unspoken invitation.

"I know. But Giles is off to pick up his date and they'll be accompanying us. I just wanted to let my girlfriend know that we wouldn't be alone." She sits on the couch across from him. "Where's Mrs. Rosenberg? I haven't seen her for a while."

"She's in her office working on a paper about teenage sexual identity crisis. Other then that, she barely stirs except to eat and sleep. I've read her research materials on the subject and learned a lot."

They continue the small talk until Willow comes down the stairs. Buffy gasps as her eyes take in the vision of loveliness before her. Willow descends the stairs slowly, her long hair trailing down in a single braid. Wearing tight maroon jeans and a loose emerald blouse over a dark red tank top, Willow shyly smiles, pleased at her girlfriend's obvious delight.

Ira stands and takes his daughter in his arms. "You look beautiful, Willow. Now go have fun."

Father and daughter speak together. "But not to much now." Willow smiles at him, a single tear of happiness making it's way down her cheek. "I love you, dad. Bye."

He escorts them to the door and says goodnight.

Buffy and Willow leave the house, hand in hand.

* * *

Xander and Jesse escort Tara, Amy and Faith into the Bronze. The girls find and claim a table while the guys get the drinks. Cordelia and her followers are dancing. Oz and his fellow band members are just beginning a break.

Several vampires gather inside and glance around locating their targets. They pause and wait for Xander and Jesse to return with the drinks as one of them heads to the restrooms. Once inside, he takes a wad of paper towels and sets them in the trash can and then throws a lit match inside. He quietly makes his way back to the group and wait for the fire alarms to begin screaming.

Cordelia walks by them and stops. She looks at them. "So the freak patrol has finally arrived. Where's the chief freak?" She glances around.

Xander is about to reply when the alarms begin to sound. The crowd begins to rush toward the exits as eight vampires circle the scoobies. The Cordettes flee for the exits. Xander glances around, his eyes determined. "We may have a little trouble here, folks."

The first vampire rushes forward and Xander ducks down and pulls his emergency stake out. He rises, catching the vamp in the chest and strikes upward with the stake. The vamp is thrown back, ripping the stake from his hand and falling back as it turns to dust. Jesse pulls out two stakes as he rises to his feet. Cordelia and Amy each pull a stake from their purses as Faith draws a knife.

Oz glances up and the thud of a body hitting the floor just in time to see it collapse into dust. He watches as the panicked crowd rushes for the exits and the gang starts to fight the vamps despite being out matched. Finally he makes a decision. He grabs the drumsticks from the drummer and jumps to the main floor. Grasping the sticks tightly, one in each hand, he walks up behind a struggling vamp. He raises his arm and drives the stake into the vampires back, aiming for the heart. He misses and the creature roars and arches it's back in pain.

Jesse takes the unexpected opportunity to stake the suddenly fatally distracted vampire. As the dust settles, he looks at the blue haired guy from the band. A quick nod of acknowledgment and he returns to the fight, striking against the vamps to the sides.

Oz shrugs and joins the fight.

Cordelia drops below a punch and strikes upwards causing a third to dust. Xander and Faith holds off two while Jesse, Amy and Tara struggle against the last three. Cordelia jumps up as Tara takes a blow that drops her. Oz stabs Tara's attacker, this time dumb luck smile at him and the drumstick pierces it's heart. The remaining four vampires notice the new arrival and their own casualties and turn to run. Xander takes his stake and throws it after them, catching one more in the back causing her to fall. Amy rushes up and stakes her, while the surviving three make good on their escape.

* * *

Buffy, Willow, Giles and Jenny relax after the main course, chatting conformably as they begin to leave the restaurant. As they make their way to the Giles' car, a half dozen vampires appear from their hiding places behind other cars. Buffy looks at the young vamps, none of them over a year old and smiles. Giles snorts in amusement as Willow and Jenny look around, willow worried about her girlfriend.

One of the vampires, standing behind the others, grins hungrily. "The boss wants you out of the way. So I'm giving you one chance. Which of you want to live forever?"

Buffy laughs. "Did your boss even tell you who we are?"

"Just some dumb humans that need to learn to follow their betters, girl."

"So you don't know I'm the slayer?" At their looks of surprise, she strikes, having used their distraction to get a little closer. She draws a stake and plunges it into the one on the right. Swiftly pulling it out, she strikes to her left, catching yet another. As her two targets collapse to dust, she charges the rest.

The vamps leader gapes at the speed with which his underlings are dispatched. He turns to run as Buffy throws her stake at him. He collapses to the ground, his knee locked up from the stake now embedded in it. She strides to where he lies and squats. "So, who you work for?"

He snarls at her and tries to grab her arm. She shrugs her shoulders and lifts him up. Taking careful aim, she slugs him hard on the jaw. He screams as the bone breaks in several places. She drags him to Giles' car. He opens the trunk and she tosses the unconscious vampire into the back. They get in and drive off.

* * *

Joyce Summers looks around the Gallery, having made sure that everyone else has left. She opens the door to her office and walks in, ignoring the angelic being sitting in her chair. Opening the filing cabinets, she retrieves several files. "Get out of my chair" she orders.

The being shows obvious surprise as he obeys her command. "By what right do you dare give me orders, witch." His low voices rings ominously, and yet oddly muted, in the small room.

She smiles in amusement at his attempts at intimidation. "You're one to talk. You sneak into my office and then try to intimidate me. Especially when you don't even know who I am." She sits in her chair and begins to look through the files.

"I know everything I need to in order to accomplish my mission, mortal. You would do well to remember that."

"Alright then, oh most arrogant one. Why are you here?"

"You have the Orb of Torvash. You will return it to me."

"Sure thing. It's on the shelf behind you. Behind the picture of my daughter."

He turns and grabs the simple wooden frame and pauses. He looks back at it and turns to look at her in confusion.

"They didn't tell you about a Slayer in town, huh."

He looks at her, his blue eyes raging with his holy wrath. He reaches and grabs the orb. And starts in another surprise at it's lack of power. "What have you done?"

She glances at him and smiles. "I broke one of the seals on my power. You can have it back. I don't need it anymore.'

"I will report your actions to my superiors when I return."

"Feel free." She sets down her pen and looks at him intently. "Why are you here?"

"I have been charged to root out all traces of chaos in accordance with the ancient pacts, fallen one." He seems to shrink.

"Let me save you some trouble. There are, not one, not two, but three chaos gods watching this town and their own individual chosen champions. And these three haven't sighed or agreed to any of the pacts that your superiors are trying to enforce. They're from the Sea of Chaos, not the far realms. Your masters will learn soon enough, little one."

"It does not matter. I must do everything in my power to accomplish the task set before me."

"Al right." she drawls. "But no actions against any inside my dwelling or place of business."

"Very well." he acknowledges before he leaves.

Joyce watches the lesser angel leave. After he exits the gallery, she shakes her head sadly. "The powers are really screwing up. If only the lords of light were still around." She returns to her work.

* * *

Several hours later, Giles hears a knock at his door. He opens the door to reveal Quentin Travers. "Hello Rupert." 


	24. Surprise Visitors

Giles opens the door to find Quentin Travers standing there. "Hello Rupert." He says as he enters the place. He glances around the place in disdain before taking a seat.

"Would you care for some tea?" Giles acts like a good host.

"That would by fine." Travers looks around as Giles puts the kettle on, his eyes narrowing as he spots the photo of Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander.

Giles sets a tray with fine china teapot and two cups on the coffee table and sits. After several minutes of pleasantries and small talk, Quentin comes to the point. "The Council has decided that if Miss Summers succeeds at the test, she is to be taken to our headquarters. We must determine if she is unique or if any slayer will retain their capabilities upon a clinical death. And we need to know if she will call another if she dies again."

Giles bites back his initial impulse before carefully speaking. "The Council has never called a slayer to headquarters before except for cases of judgement and punishment. Why the sudden break from all our traditions without any word?"

"Because we are entering a time of crisis. The fact is that our very existence is threatened by evils once thought long dead or only myths even to our common foes. In the ten thousand years our order has overseen the slayer line, from the moment of it's creation to the present day, we have been the final defense against of end of humanity, the guardians of our very survival. In fact, an expedition studying the floor of the Mediterranean a decade ago discovered several ancient manuscripts in a ruined city in the depths. These volumes have been translated and action begun on the prophecies we have discovered therein."

Giles starts at the revelation. "I was unaware of any of this." He stands up and walks over to the bar where he opens the notebook containing the history of the world as Joyce has revealed. Taking a copy of the hand altered world map as she remembered things, he studies it. "Just where was the site located at?" he inquires.

"South west of Cyprus, approximately halfway to Africa." Travers sips his tea, clearly wondering at the question.

At Giles questions, Quintin tells him a little before resuming their earlier thread. "After the test, Miss Summers and you will return to headquarters. A squad of cleaners has been dispatched and is in the area, waiting." A few pleasantries more and Quintin leaves for the night.

Giles nods his head in acknowledgment, fully aware that the cleaner squad would attempt to remove any trace that Buffy ever had a family or friends so that future generations would only see a normal slayer, not the unique individual the Buffy is. In this case, however, Joyce was beyond their means to remove and would in fact, if the council continued their traditional heavy handed approach, break the council.

* * *

Thursday, January 15, 1998

Early the next morning, Giles enters the front entrance of the mansion where the Joyce is moving her family. She spots him while talking to the construction firms foreman. She excuse herself and walks over to him. After greeting each other, Joyce invites him to tour the grounds.

Once there are alone, Giles begins. "Quintin Travers stopped by last night."

"So what does he want? Is it about the test?" Her voice turns the last question into a curse.

"In a way. If Buffy survives, the board intends to have her brought to the council headquarters for study and experimentation. And Quintin gives the board it's instructions."

"Why?"

And he tells her.

* * *

That evening, as the Buffy and Willow meet Giles and Miss Calendar for Buffy's injection, Buffy queries "How long till I lose my strength, Giles?"

"You should have already had a dizzy spell followed by a lose of strength."

"Already? But I'm just peachy with a side of keen."

"I've never encountered any mention of a this. I wonder..." He walks over to the stacks and carefully takes an old book, the faint smell wafting through the library.

The three women look at each other and grin.

* * *

Early afternoon, Los Angeles.

As the train slows on it's approach to the station, Kendra jumps off the and rolls away. She hisses in pain from the slugs she was unable to remove from earlier encounters. She slips from the area and heads off.

A shimmer of air suddenly reveals a lizard like demon that blends into the background. It reaches into crudely stitched together pouch and removes a cell phone. It calls and waits for an answer as it tails Kendra.

* * *

That evening, after Buffy's injection, Buffy and Giles sit in the library, chatting about the changes in their life as he cleans the weapons. As she idly fingers the sword she calls Inferno, Quintin Travers stiffly walks in with a large manila envelope, which he sets down on the counter. Buffy notices a flash of uneasy surprise cross Giles face. "Quintin, what brings you here at this hour?"

The question is answered when four black metallic humanoids with skeletal features carrying spears at the ready walk in behind him flanking a similar figure save for the four twisting horns rising from it's head and the black cape it wears and a whip in it's hands. "Greetings, watcher, slayer." It nods it's head toward them. The leader takes the envelope off the counter and rips it open, revealing an ancient book bound in pale leather with bone ornamentation. Buffy opens her eyes at the dark energy now radiating from the volume. It nods it's head and the hound nearest Travers impales him on it's spear. The other three charge Buffy and Giles.

Buffy leaps up and spins out of the way of one spear and knocks the other aside with the sword. Bringing her foot up, she spin kicks the hound who's spear she avoided, leaving a small dent in it's hide. Giles picks up the wooden box that contains the drug and throws it into the third hounds face. It shatters, sending a spray into the hounds eyes, temporarily blinding it.

Buffy charges her two, getting inside their reach. Her blade sweeps through the arm and on the back swing, slides into it's belly, the thick black blood oozing down to the floor as it slowly sinks to the floor.

Giles desperately grabs for a weapon, grabbing at the first thing he can get his hands on. He raises it to parry the oncoming spear and watches as the hastily raised crossbow splinters under the impact.

The fourth one wrenches it's weapon free from Travers and closes on Buffy. She fights defensively, taking the opportunity to strike at her foes whenever she wouldn't leave herself open while sizing them up.

The leader ignores the fight as it walks out the door. As it starts to push open the doors, they fly forward knocking it to the ground and the book flying as Kendra pushes her way in. She sizes up the situation swiftly and leaps to help by keeping the horned menace form regaining it's balance.

As Buffy gains the measure of her foes, Giles' crossbow breaks from repeated blows. She backs to the table and kick's one of the chairs there at the one to her right. She then grabs the other's spear in her left hand and lets it pull her in, using the sword to stab through it's chest.

Kendra leaps to Giles assistance, grabbing the creature's arms and pinning then to it's side. It struggles, surprising her with it's own brute strength. Giles takes the opportunity to grab a sword and turn to engage. The leader, having recovered it's feet, snaps the whip around her neck, cutting off her air flow. Giles matches his opponent and Buffy struggles desperately to free her sword from where it lies trapped in the chest of one foe while avoiding being skewered by the other.


	25. Another Curse

BtVS belongs to Joss and M.E., Nightbane belongs to Palladium Books. I am not receiving any recompense for this.

* * *

Giles desperately engages his opponent, as Kendra claws at the whip choking the life from her.

Buffy abandons her sword and grabs her surviving foes spear and struggles briefly for possession but it's strength closely matches hers. She drops backwards suddenly, pulling it forward and flipping it over her, forcing it to release the spear. She spins and runs the prone figure through, pinning it to the floor. Her last foe incapacitated, Buffy rushes the monster's leader.

Giles attacks aggressively, forcing his foe back, until it stumbles against the counter, giving him the opportunity to start hacking at the heavy armor and slowly whittling away at it. The dark plated arms flex and throws the spear at Giles ducks, kicks him, knocking him over to the remains of Buffy's targets, his sword flying free. As he desperately gets to his feet, he grabs Buffy's sword, and with a desperate strength, tears it free. As the last hound charges him, he swings while rolling aside and the blade cuts easily into the creature's right arm. As the beast stumble, Giles grasp the hilt with both hands as he swings and the enchanted sword cuts deeply into the back of it's neck.

Buffy leaps upon the horned creature and jerks it's arm, ripping the whip out of it's hand as Kendra bonelessly collapses to the floor. It spins and delivers a left handed blow that sends her flying across the rom and into the railing. As Buffy struggles to rise, it pulls a knife and grabs Kendra by the throat and lifts her. Holding her, it looks over at Buffy stumbling to her feet and Giles still occupied but clearly winning. It turns to it's victim and drives the knife into her belly and drops her bleeding body to the floor, leaving the knife stuck. It walks to the where the book is laying and reaches down to pick it up.

Buffy struggles to her feet and charges as the horned monstrosity bends over reaching for the book. She dives forward, sweeping up Giles lost sword and comes to her feet . She sweeps the sword overhead and brings it down with her full power. The plain steel blade bites into the neck, only cutting a quarter of the way through, even with her enhanced strength, but it's enough as the thing falls to the floor.

As Giles finishes off his foe, Buffy grabs the phone and makes two calls. The first to 911 for medical help for Kendra, the second home for mom's help. She rushes to Kendra and tries to staunch the flow of blood.

* * *

Joyce appears in the library as a line if shadow that swiftly expands. She looks around and hurries to Kendra's side. Kneeling, she quickly examines her. "There is nothing I can do for her. It has been to long since I used my powers to heal a wound anywhere near this grievous. And without practice, I dare not risk making it worse. If you call now, she should survive until she gets to a hospital."

Giles notices the book and goes to pick it up. "What's this?" he mutters.

Joyce stands and walks to where Quintin Travers lies near death. She smiles and reaches into his mind.

Quintin Travers looks around at the frozen tableau in the library. Giles frozen in the act of picking up a book and The detested slayer Buffy Summers trying to keep Kendra alive. As he continues to look around, he sees his body, the pool of blood around it showing how close to death he is. And kneeling beside him is the Slayer's mother. He smiles at her coming death, her usurpation of the Council of Watchers power and authority.

"What'ca smiling about?"

Quintin jumps at the unexpected voice. He turns and sees a smirking Joyce Summers standing there. "What are you doing here?" he demands angrily.

"I'm here to make you an offer."

His condescending arrogance cause her to smile as he replies. "There's nothing you could offer me. I am Quintin Travers, head of the Council of watchers. And this is nothing. As long as I perform my duties, I am guaranteed a death of naturae causes. This will not be more than an mere inconvenience."

Suddenly, Whistler shows up and looks around. Spotting Joyce, he stops, confused."You're not supposed to be here."

"No, I'm not. I'm supposed to still be bond in slumber until the world end. After all, the Powers that Be Morons decided to bind the Demon Guardian of these worlds just so that they could play with my Slayer line. Never mind that my duties were assigned by the Lords of Light before they sacrificed themselves to destroy the Lords of Darkness." She looks at Whistler and smiles. "I have a message for those that hold your leash, balance demon. Tell them that as the ancient pacts decree, any actions of their's in the worlds under my protection require my approval. Otherwise, all their interference is categorically rejected."

Travers blanches as he realizes just who he's upset while Whistler shakes his head sadly. "You don't now what you're dealing with, doll. The Powers that Be are the ones that ..."

"Enough!" Joyce roars at him. Whistler snaps his jaw shut and watches as Joyce shifts forms. She continues in a more calm tone. "I am the equal to any of them. We were all created directly by the Lords of Light and Darkness, one time Chaos gods from the Sea of Chaos whom decided to create the known universes and dimensions. I can interfere until half my powers are unsealed. Now go and tell your masters that there are true Chaos gods looking this way again." She glances around the library. "Tell them also that the Ba'al-ze-Neckt are active here again."

Whistler disappears as she turns to Travers. "Dreaming of having me killed?" She smiles at him as a large cat towards ir's pray. If you want to live, you will bring me the two Orbs that the council has in their vaults. Those, combined with the others I have will allow me to break seven of the twelve seals on my power. Otherwise, you will pass on to your reward. The Hells will love to get you."

"What do you mean?" He stutters.

"The Powers have over stepped their authority. As long as the slayer line draws on my strength, they are under my direction and my protection. By the mystic laws this universe is built on by the Lords of Light, my essence is mine. When the powers usurped the slayer line, they forgot or ignored the rules. When you acted to control the slayer line, you came under my jurisdiction."

"What do you want?" Travers asks as the foundations of his world are revealed to be built upon sand.

"I can't remain here for long. I'm needed elsewhere. But my daughters will take my place here. Give it a year, two tops and I will be gone, returning for visits only." She walks to where Buffy kneels allowing Travers to see her love for her child in spirit if not flesh. "And for them to guard this world, they will need resources. If you swear to serve me, you will assist them in any way they need until your final death."

"So that's it. Serve you or go to hell. Not much of a choice."

"Of course not. An element of basic strategy. Minimize your opponents options and maximize your own. But skill takes practice and practice means making mistake that teach you. What you did wrong, how you misread your foes, or even how you over or under estimated one or both side's strength. But you and the council have never had to practice. You thought you had an unassailable strong hold." She turns and smiles, her eyes hard as ice. "To bad, Quintin. Your soul goes to hell or you serve me for the rest of your life and maybe manage to avoid it. You can even warn the others on the council if you wish."

Quintin decides swiftly, thinking he can always use the council's resources to set things the way they should be.

"Very well, Quintin." If anything, her eyes grow colder. "I curse you to be caught between life and death. No pleasure of flesh to feel, no words of this curse may you reveal. Until I stand in my proper place, you will obey my will. Until your crimes you have atoned for, you shall be neither living or dead, bound to my desires. Now sleep."

Joyce moves on, her business with Travers done for now. She moves until she stands next to Giles and looks at the book he picked up. He turns and jumps in surprise. "What... Please don't do that anymore."

She reaches out and runs a hand gently down the books cover as she whispers "The Book of the Darkness Triumphant. The book that the Ba'al-ze-Neckt found, read and used to become the monsters they are now. Written in blood on human skin and bound with hide and bones of an angel by one of the Lords of Madness." She turns to look at the decaying remains. "And these stink of them. Hide the book and ward it as best you can, Rupert."

"Right."

* * *

Joyce transports herself home to pick up Willow as Buffy accompanies Kendra in the ambulance to the hospital. As they enter the hospital, Buffy stops to wait for the others on the way. When Giles arrives, he heads to the desk and begins to fill out the paperwork.

The rest of the group gathers at the Summers residence, Xander takes charge. Miss Calendar, Amy and Tara, could you ward the house in case the attackers decide to attack us here?"

Jenny looks at the group she has to work with. "I think we can do something. Tara, Amy, you gather these." She writes a list on a notepad and hands it to them. She goes to Joyce's small occult library and removes a volume from the shelf and begins to scan through it.

"Jesse, my man. Is there anything you can do?"

"I can contact the Ted bot and have him secure the workshop. The other two that are functional can take the laser carbine and act as a security detachment there as long as I can identify the foe to them."

"Do it. Cordelia, Faith. You two will help me look through the books. Cordy, we're looking for that thing that appeared on Halloween. Finding out who summoned it is just became a high priority. Oz should be stopping by tonight. If he does, let him in. He's going to ask a lot of questions. Everyone got something to do?"

They nod affirmatively and go about their tasks.

A quarter of an hour later, Faith stands up. "This is boring. Isn't there anything else I can do." She walks outside.

Xander follows her out. "Come on Faith. I know you're worried. We're all worried. But until we find out what attacked them, we have no idea of what their plans are."

"I know, Xander." She pushes herself up from the railing. "I know. I just feel so useless. Just like my whole life." She balls her fist and hits the post at the top of the stairs. To both their surprise, the post shatters into two pieces and splinters.

As Faith stares on shock, Xander bundles her into the house. "Everyone, Faith 's a slayer. Miss Calendar, can you call the hospital and see if you can find out anything?"

"Sure thing." She grabs the phone and starts dialing.

"Amy, Tara. Can you help her up to her bed and keep her company."

"Ah...of co..co..course Xander." Tara stutters as she and Amy each take one of Faith's arms and begin to carefully move her.

"Dawn, could you see what everyone would like now?"

Dawn jumps up with unrestrained excitement. "Okay!" before she scurries to the dining room.


	26. To Live or Not

Kendra gasps for air as she lays on the floor, as Buffy flies from the monster's blow. It turns toward her and everything seems to slow as the knife it draws moves inevitably towards her stomach. It drives into her, stabbing up into her chest. She struggles to stay awake as Buffy rushes toward her, her hands seeking to stop the flow of blood around the knife. Slowly, everything fades away.

For a moment, there is nothing.

A voice cuts through her. "Open your eyes. Make an effort to keep going."

She sits, although the bone deep weariness pulls down at her. She finally opens her eyes to unexpected sights and sounds. As she opens her eyes, the crashing of waves against the rocks swells. The growing light seems strange, golden. She finally opens her eyes to see a room, no scratch that, a chamber that for hundreds of yards around her. She finds herself on a cot . She stands, her bare feet on the smooth stone, and takes stock of her herself. Save for a short tunic some soft material and the ring, she finds herself with nothing. She looks around and sees a woman looking through a window at dark spheres bouncing in a golden sea of light.

The woman is shorter then she is, with hair seemingly of some reddish metal and eyes as golden as the sea outside clothed as she is except for the sword she bears sheathed across her back. Kendra starts as she puts the pieces together. The mysterious figure is the same height as Buffy with a voice that commands and seduces at the same time. "You are the one, you gave Buffy her ring." her voice hesitant at the power she knows this one possess.

"Quick to grasp what lies before you. Full of duty and honor, Kendra."

""Why am I here. I was..."

"And that is why you are here. I can prevent the end of your life. As long as it involves destruction, I can do just about anything. And you too are a destroyer."

"No. I am de Slayer. I am to defend the world."

"Yes, you are and you do. And you do so by destroying those that seek to bring harm to others. It isn't about destruction for your own pleasure or desire. It's for the protection of others. But it is still destruction, aimed, purposeful destruction to save others. Right?" She tilts her head sideways, waiting.

"But we struggle against the ones you would destroy."

"I can save the life of the ill. All it takes is the destruction of the disease early enough and time to heal the damage. But I find injuries easier to prevent then heal. And at the moment, you are the one who lies on the brink of death. Your friends are worried about you. And your watcher making arrangements to go to Sunnydale even now. You have a chance to reach out and grab that which will make you desire to live. That which will give you the same drive to win and stay alive that drive your sister slayer.

"But why me?"

"Because you are you, you are special and unique. If you give up now, the light will dim a little. Because the next slayer will be called and it will be Buffy's adapted sister, Faith. You can help pull her from the darkness and reclaim the light for yourself."

Kendra sits and thinks. Is she ready to leave the fight? Can she leave the fight? "I have made my choice."

* * *

The ambulance wails as it speeds through the night time streets in Sunnydale. Inside Buffy Summers holds the hand of the other slayer, Kendra. Giles went home to contact her watcher and stash the book before he could make his way to the hospital. Joyce had transported herself home to tell the others what had happened and collect Willow before making her own way there. At the hospital, Buffy accompanies Kendra until they take her into surgery. She paces around the waiting room as she waits for somebody, anybody to get there.

A short time later, Joyce and Willow hurriedly enter. Willow goes to Buffy who engulfs her in a embrace as Joyce checks to see if there is any news. When Giles later arrives, finds them sitting nervously waiting for any word.

Joyce stands and joins him as he starts filling out the paperwork for Kendra. "I contacted Mr. Zabuto, her watcher. He will be here as soon as he can."

"Good. If she makes it, she won't be walking away anytime soon. The knife was crafted so it's injuries are slow to heal."

"How's Buffy holding up?"

"Better now. She was hit hard." She trails off as the two girls come up to her. "I'll take these two and get something." They walk off as Giles finishes the paperwork before he looks around and takes an uncomfortable seat to begin his vigil.

* * *

Giles wearily hangs up the phone. He looks around and before returning to a seat and collapsing. Shortly after, Joyce returns alone. Seeing his distraught expression, she sits beside him. "Any news?"

"Jenny called desperate to contact us. Faith is showing signs of being called."

Joyce closes her eyes and concentrates for a moment. "She has been, but Kendra is still connected."

Giles sits back. "Oh dear lord. Three slayers here? The council will have a conniption. When they find out."

"I've dealt with them for now. Travers will go along until he figures out how to break my curse. Then he'll declare war, in his own underhanded fashion. Till then, I give us a couple of months."

"You cursed the head of the council? I thought they had protection from such things?"

"They have a contract with the powers that be. Of course the contract gives the council the power's worldly control of the line in return for certain, shall we say considerations. Certain rituals at various times and the occasional assassination." She pauses and considers for a moment as Buffy and Willow trudge back, holding each other for support.

* * *

Hours later, Joyce looks around after returning from the bathroom. Giles slumbers uneasily in the hard backed chair as the girls hold each other while their dreams come uneasily. A cough draws her back as she turns to a waiting doctor. He grins sheepishly. "Are you the ones with Kendra?" he gently inquires.

"Yes. Let me wake Rupert up and then you can tell us the news." She gently shakes him awake. "The doctor is here." she says once he stirs.

"Quite right. How is she?"

"I'm Dr. Evans." He shakes Giles hand. "She's a very lucky individual. The injury caused a shallow cut the heart. Soon after we first got her into surgery, her heart stopped several times. Fortunately, we got it started again and kept a close eye on it. The primary problem after that was blood lose. Do you happen to know when she got the bullets we discovered lodged in her back?"

"I was unaware of any such injury." Giles gasps.

"There are eight, of several sizes. It looks as if she was hiding behind something that was used for target practice. We'll have to let her recover before we can go in and remove them. Other then that, she's in the ICU in critical condition."

* * *

Monday, January 19, 1998

Quentin Travers strides toward his office, the anger radiating from him causing everyone who can, avoid his path. He slams the door behind him and stamps to the liqueur cabinet. After he pours himself a brandy. He raises the glass and takes a sip. Scowling, he throws the glass into the fireplace where the glass shatters. He opens the door and growls at his assistant "Get Cromwell here." He slams the door. While he waits, he paces restlessly. When his assistant announces Cromwell is there. He barks "Don't just sit there. See him in."

The door opens and Travers forces himself to sit behind his desk. "Eugene, I have a matter for you."

"Yes, Mr. Travers. You wanted to see me" The dark haired young man takes the seat he's waved to.

"I need you to research a curse for me." He stands and walks to the covered window and seems to ponder something.

"What details are known, sir?"

Travers shakes himself. "There's a copy of the wording on the desk along with a brief list of effects."

"Is there anything else, sir?"

"There is one more thing. This." He opens the curtains revealing the newly risen waning moon. Eugene Cromwell stares at the changed figure. Quentin looks down at the skeleton arm with a few tattered bits of desiccated flesh and cloths that is his. The uncovered bones of Quentin's skeleton walks out of the moonlight and as they pass out of the light, they once more appear as flesh and bone and intact clothing.

* * *

That Afternoon, Sunnydale General.

Kendra stirs from her sleep. She struggles weakly to sit up and cries out for water. A gentle hand steadies her as a familiar voice speaks. "You've done well Kendra. But you were severely injured. Open your mouth." Shortly after she does so, a piece of ice is places on her tongue, telling her of just how dry her mouth is. She opens her eyes and sees him. "Mr. Zabuto?"

"That's right. Where else would I be?" The confusion in her eyes clutches at his heart as he gazes at her. He gives her another ice chip before he calls for the nurse.

While his attention is focused on his slayer, a shimmer moves from the hall before the open door. It travels to an empty room where it fades into existence, reveling the same demon who followed Kendra in L.A. It removes it's cell phone and makes a call by the window. "She's here and in the hospital." A pause to listen then "She's not going anywhere for a while. Her watcher is here too. Tell Kakistos that there's another slayer in town." Faint yells waft from the suddenly distanced cell phone. When they quiet down the demon replaces it next to it's listening orifice. "I'm leaving as soon as he gets here. There's something powerful hiding here, something ancient." It hangs up and returns to it's post and continues to watch.

* * *

Afternoon, Tuesday, January 20, 1998

Jesse and Xander walk through the hospital hall on their way to visit Kendra as they discuss Jesse's latest experimental piece.

"I'm telling you Xander. This will do everything those night vision goggles will do you keep yappen about." He holds the goggles in his hand, waving it in emphasize

"Alright Jesse." He sighs. "If it means that much to you I'll give'em a try." He holds out his hand and waits for his friend to hand them to him.

They walk into Kendra's room as Xander waves his free hand. "Hey Kenrda, Mr. Z. This is Jesse." He sticks his thumb at his friend..

"Hello, Ah Xander is it?" He greets them.

"Yeap, that's me. Also known as errand guy. Giles would like to speak with you before Buffy's surprise party. Something Travers left behind."

"Of course." he looks at Kendra. "I need to go, but I'm sure these find gentlemen will provide an acceptable substitute."

She weakly nods to show her acknowledgment. He smiles at her before he leaves.

Xander takes a careful look at her. "You look like you need some delicious golden goodness." he reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a Twinkie as he sets the goggles on the table with the other hand. He frowns and pulls the pocket open and looks in it. "I thought I had two." He shrugs his shoulders. "You look like you need it more then me so. Want me to open it for you?" At her nod, he tears the wraping open and presents it to her. "Your snack."

She smiles as she takes it and nibbles at it.

"So now I have to test this." He picks the goggles up and puts them on and looks around. "Okay, how do they work, buddy?"

Jesse smiles. "The controls are at the right temple. On the top is the on switch." Xander reaches up and pushes it. "The side knob selects vision type. The center, where its at now, is light amplifying. It shuts off when the light meter reads enough light normally. Twist it counter clockwise to switch to infrared.."

Xander twist the knob and smiles. "This is cool!"

"Twist the knob clockwise puts it in ultra violet mode."

Xander follows the instruction and glances around. He pauses while gazing at the door. He plays with the controls before he turns it off. "That's neat. But I forgot. That I have to call this guy. I'll be right back." He sets the goggles down be he leaves.

Jesse shrugs his shoulders before he turns to her. "Would you like to try em?" She looks at his hopeful expression and smiles before nodding. He takes them and starts to put them on her. She reaches up and guides his hands.


	27. Blue Arrival

Angel answers the ringing phone. "Hello."

Xanders voice replies. "Two things, deadboy. First, Buffy's birthday party tonight. Consider this your invitation."

Angel smiles. "I'll be there. What else?"

"I'm at the hospital. There's something outside Kendra's room. I spotted it trying out Jesse's latest toy. It showed up when I check the ultraviolet setting. Human sized with a tail. Otherwise, it wasn't there."

"I'll deal with it. And thanks."

"Good luck with it." The phone goes dead.

Angel hangs up before he grabs a dagger and leaves.

* * *

Buffy Summers walks down the side walk with her companion. "That was great, Willow. How did you find out about that place?"

"My parents went there for their anniversary." She looks at Buffy and notices a spot of sauce at the corner of her mouth. "Just a minute. You have a speck." She trails off and gulps at Buffy's mischievous grin.

"Would you get it, please Will?"

Willow looks into the hazel eyes studying her and smiles evilly. "Sure, Buffy." She reaches over and places her hand behind Buffy's head and pulls her close. She leans in and licks the sauce up before pulling her girlfriend in for a kiss.

The two girls kiss each other, tasting each others essence until they break the kiss. Buffy looks at Willow confused until she realizes that they're both gasping for air.

They look at each other and begin to speak. "God, that was intense." they pause as they realize they said the same thing.

Buffy shakes her head to clear it. "Okay, hacker, what's next?"

"Joyce asked me to stop by the new place. Shall we?" She holds out her arm for Buffy to grab.

Buffy takes the offered arm and they walk down the sidewalk, pressed close together. When they reach the mansion, they enter the main entrance and flip on the switch. The under powered bulb weakly holds back the darkness as they slowly walk through the house. As they enter the main hall, Willow breaks the tender silence. "There should be a light switch here some where."

Suddenly the lights blaze on as the gang jumps out from their hiding places. "Happy Birthday Buffy!" the cries ring with merriment.

Buffy looks around at her friends and family wearing paper hats, at the banner and decorations hung around the room, momentary speechless. Giles blows on a party favor.

Willow mistakes her silence for dislike. "We wanted to do something for you and I thought , hey how about a surprise party, cause you need something to special. I mean it was hard keeping it secret and all bu I thought you'd like it.

Turning to Willow, she pulls her into a hug and a kiss, silencing the babbling red head her. "It's great Willow, guys. It's just..."

Giles comes up to her and pulls her into an embrace. "I'm glad you like it. Willow came up with the idea."

* * *

Angel knocks at the door before entering Kendra's room. "Hello, Kendra. And you must be Mr. Zabuto, Kendra's watcher."

She looks up ad nods. Mr. Zabuto looks up from his book. "Welcome, Ah..."

"I'm Angel. I just want to say hi. And take of a little business." He looks around and sees the goggles. "Mind if I.?" He nods toward them.

She nods and he puts them on and tries them. "These are interesting. They show all kinds of things." He takes them off. "I need to be going. Take care of yourself." He walks out and as he turns, he pulls the dagger and drives it toward the wall.

The shimmer appears and fades away to reveal the demon sliding down the wall. Angel grabs it and nod to the surprised occupants of the room and leaves.

* * *

Buffy looks around the room at the rest of the group while buried in Giles arms as they look at her expectantly. "You guys did all this for me? That is so sweet, really. It means a lot to me. Thanks guys." She and Giles disengage.

Faith steps up "It's just a party, B."

"My birthdays up till now have a habit of being miserable. Besides, there's chocolate goodness calling me. Faith, thanks." She pulls her into a quick hug before heading to the snacks and drinks.

She pauses at Cordelia and Xander. "There something you want to tell us?"

They pull away from their close stance. "Buffy, ready for your birthday spanking?" Xander grins.

"Only in your dreams." She smiles to Cordelia before continuing on.

Jenny sidles up to Giles. "Care for a dance?"

He takes her offered hand and leads her to the center of the room. Jesse turns on the stereo and soft music begins to play as the two adults begin their dance. Giles looks Jenny in the eyes and smiles warmly.

Faith looks around and sees Tara standing alone in a secluded corner. She struts over. "Come on. We can't let the old people have all the fun." Taking her hand, Faith pulls her out to near Giles and Jenny.

Joyce looks around at the group her daughter has melded together. The eleven people gathered there and the connection they share. This is a family of the heart.

* * *

Angel is hurrying to Buffy's party when he sees a truck parked in an adjacent loading area. A man jumps off of the truck bed while another walks across the loading dock. He shakes his head wearily and goes to investigate. He walks up beside the cab and sees Dalton carrying an old wooden box.

As the truck's engine starts. Angel grabs for the door handle as Dalton lifts the box onto the back of the truck. The truck door swings open before he can reach it, and a vampire kicks out, hitting him in the arm. He grabs the leg and yanks, pulling him out of the cab and onto the asphalt.. The vampire gets up from the pavement, and a punch knocks him back down again. Pulling a stake from under his coat, Angel slams it down causing a momentary cloud of dust. The one on the truck and Dalton are running when he stands up. He throws the stake at the one carrying the box. It stumbles and drops the box as the stake tears into it's left shoulder. The two dive into the alley and when Angel turns the corner, they have disappeared. He looks back and notices the Box in the back of the truck.

* * *

Tara walks over to where Buffy and Willow are dancing together. "Ohm... I had an idea."

Pausing in their movement, Buffy turns her head to look back. "What's your idea?"

"When my mom was still alive, when she would fix a birthday cake for someone, when she cut the cake, the first piece always went to the person having the birthday. I, uh, I just thought that..."

"You want to keep a piece of your family traditions with your new family." Willow pulls back and looks at the now blushing Tara.

"Let's go talk to mom before she cuts the cake."

* * *

Angel walks in as Joyce cuts the first piece of the birthday cake and hands the plate with it to Buffy. After he sets the box down, he joins the group. "Hey, Buffy. Happy birthday."

"Hey Angel. Glad you could make it." She sets the plate down.

"I have something for you." he reaches into his inside coat pocket and removes a small gift wrapped package and tosses it to Buffy. She tears it open and opens the box to reveal two rings. "My people, before I was changed, they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. they're claddagh rings. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty... and the heart... Well, you know... Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody."

"Thanks Angel but..." She makes up her mind and searches his eyes for permission. "Okay. Willow?"

She looks up, confused. "Yeah Buffy?"

Buffy takes Willow's hand and raises it. She takes one ring and, watching Willow, she slides it onto her finger. She kisses the hand and lets go. She takes the second ring and puts it on. "There." That done, she looks at the box. "So, what's in the box?"

"I don't know. Several vampires were moving it."

"Giles?"

Giles examines it. "I have no idea. Can, can it be opened?"

"Yeah. This looks like a release right here." Angel works the latch and opens the box to reveal a blue arm clad in armor. Buffy looks over at Giles in disgust. Suddenly the arm raises up, grabs

Giles by the throat and begins choking him. He struggles with the arm until Buffy pulls it off of him and stuffs it back into the box while he steps back and tries to catch his breath. Angel slams the lid shut. Giles coughs as Buffy helps him to a seat.

Xander looks around. "Well, clearly the Hellmouth's answer to 'what do you get the Slayer who has everything?'

Jenny rushes over. "Good heavens. Rupert, are you all right?"

Buffy answers. "Man, that thing had major grip."

Tara leans heavily against the table "W-what was that?"

Faith "It looked like the arm of a giant smurf."

Angel shacks his head in disbelief. "It can't be. She wouldn't."

Jesse "What, uh, vamp's version of 'snakes in a can', or do you care to share?"

Xander chuckles momentarily. "It's a vamp version of a jack in the box. Right?" He looks at the souled vampire. "Angel?"

Angel begins "It-it's a legend..." Giles looks at the box from his seat. "way before my time... of a demon brought forth to rid the Earth of the plague of humanity... separate the righteous from the wicked... and to burn the righteous down. They call him the Judge."

Giles "The Judge? This is he?"

Angel "Not all of him."

Buffy raises her hand. "Um, still needing some back story here."

Giles removes and begins to polish his glasses. "He, he couldn't be killed, yes? Um, an army was sent against him. Most of them died but, uh, finally they were able to dismember him, but, not kill him."

Angel "The pieces were scattered... buried in every corner of the Earth."

Jenny "So all these parts are being brought here."

Angel "By Drusilla. The vamps outside were Spike's men. She's just crazy enough to do it, too."

Willow "Do what, reassemble the Judge?"

Angel "And bring forth Armageddon."

Cordelia "Is anybody else gonna have cake?" She goes to the snack table where she takes a piece of cake from Joyce.

Giles "We need to get this out of town."

Jenny "You have to do it. You're the only one that can protect this thing, Angel. You're the only one who can skip town for a few months."

"You're right. I gotta get this to the remotest region possible." He gestures grandly. "I gotta catch a cargo ship to Asia, maybe trek to Nepal..."

Buffy "You know, those newfangled flying machines really are much safer than they used to be."

Angel "I can't fly. There's no sure way to guard against the daylight. I-I don't like this but there's no other choice."

Buffy When?"

Angel " Tonight. As soon as possible."

Joyce walks up and hands a piece of cake to both Jenny and Giles. "We can keep it here til morning. Unless they get an invitation, right. You can plan your trip and leave tomorrow night."

Buffy speaks up. "She's right. You might want to leave from L.A. or somewhere else. At least, you'll give them more possibilities to cover."

Angel considers the idea. "You might be right. A short time to plan now to keep the trip safer."

Jenny looks up from Giles. "I'll drive you to wherever."

* * *

Spike's hideout. Drusilla is confronting Dalton. He has his eyes lowered. "You lost it? You... lost my present."

Dalton studies the floor. "I know. I'm sorry."

Spike "It was a bad turn, man. She can't have her fun without the box."

Dalton grovels "It was Angel. He came out of nowhere. I didn't even see him."

Drusilla cuts him off by putting her finger to his lips. She stares into his eyes. She lifts off his glasses and drops them to the floor. She stomps on them and grinds them into the concrete. She lifts her head with her eyes closed. "Make a wish."

Dalton glances up in shock. "What?"

She holds two fingers up to his eyes. "I'm going to blow out the candles."

Spike snorts. "You might give him a chance to find your lost treasure. He is a wanker, but he's the only one we've got with half a brain. If he fails, you can eat his eyes out of the sockets for all I care."

Dalton begs "I'll get it. Please. I swear."

Drusilla thrusts both hands at him and pulls them back at the last instant and up into raised fists, and smiles at him evilly. She bends down and picks up his glasses. "Okay." She unfolds them and sets them back on his nose."Hurry back then." She pats his head like a puppy. She steps over to Spike and sits in his lap. Dalton breathes a sigh of relief and leaves to begin his task.


	28. Waking up Blue

Early Wednesday night, January 21, 1998.

Miss Calendar drives toward the highway heading south to LA with Angel and make their way to the harbor. Angel takes the box out of the trunk and puts it on his shoulder. They walk together to the gangplank Angel sets the box down and turns to her. "I wanted to thank you. For letting us know about the curse. This way I won't be a source of pain for her."

"You're welcome, Angel." She examines him. "You really care about her."

"I love her. And despite the pain I have at seeing her with someone else, she has a place in the sun that I could never give her." They take a few steps away from the box.

Two vampires suddenly jump at them from some cargo netting. One grabs Jenny off of Angel and throws her to the ground. The other grabs a loose board and smashes it on Angel's left arm. Jenny rolls to her feet. The vampire swings at her, but misses. She pulls a bottle of holy water from her pocket and hurls it at him. Angel grabs the arm of his and spins around, hurling it over the railing. Jenny's opponent grabs her with his smoking hand and pulls her head to the side. Angel rushes over and grabs his head and twists, snapping the spine and causing it to dust. Jenny falls toward him, momentarily entangling him. Dalton drops out of the cargo netting now, too, runs over to the box, grabs it and starts to run.

Jenny looks up, sees it and cries out "Angel! The box!"

They disentangle and he runs after Dalton and tackles him to the deck. Jenny hurries toward her car. Dalton shakes free of him and shoves him into a stack of crates. He follows up with a roundhouse kick, but Angel ducks and Dalton just dives into the crates. Angel grabs him, but he pulls Angel with him over the rail. The vampire he was fighting before grabs the box and makes a run for it. Angel's first opponent crawls over the railing he was tossed earlier and spies the box. He scoops it up and disappears into the night.

* * *

In the library, Giles is researching the Judge. He looks up from his books. "They should of contacted us by now."

Buffy looks up from her book. "Don't say anything bad, Giles. Don't jinx us."

The phone rings, startling the group. Giles answers and listens for a moment before hanging up. "That was Miss Calendar. Apparently, Spike's minion ambushed them and made off with the box. Angel ended up in the harbor so she's going to drop him at his flat before coming here."

"Giles, what do we know?"

Giles: "The more I study the Judge, the less I like him. His touch can literally burn the humanity out of you. A true creature of evil can survive the process. No human ever has."

"What's the problem? We send Cordy to fight this guy, and we go for pizza." Xander smiles.

Buffy "Can this guy be stopped? Without an army? Xander, you remember anything?"

Giles reads from his volume. "Um, no weapon forged can kill him. Not very encouraging. If we could only stop them from assembling him."

"That's it!" As they look at him, Xander smiles. "No weapon forged. We used a missile launcher on him. It sent chunks all over the mall, too."

Buffy smiles. "Alright Xander. Now all we need to do is to figure out where they'd be keeping him. Get the party favors. And fight over who gets to shoot him."

Giles "This could take time."

Willow "Better do a round robin. Xander, you go first."

Buffy "Good call."

As Xander heads for the phone Giles inquires "Round robin?"

Willow sighs. "It's when everybody calls everybody else's mom and tells them they're staying at everyone's house."

Buffy "Thus freeing us up for world saveage."

Willow flashes the group a smile. "And all-night keggers!" Buffy and Giles both look at her, Giles annoyed and Buffy holding in her laughter. "What, only Xander gets to make dumb jokes?" Buffy walks up to her and hugs her.

* * *

Later that evening, Buffy comes striding out of the office with Angel following her out. Giles looks down at them from the stacks. "Buffy, what's happening?"

Angel "She had another dream."

Buffy "I think I know where Spike and Drusilla are."

Giles slowly descends the stairs. "That's very good, however, you, you do need a plan. I know you're concerned, Buffy, but you can't just go off half-cocked."

Buffy looks at him. "I have a plan. Angel and I go to the factory and do recon, figure out how far they've gotten assembling the Judge. You guys check any places the boxes could be coming into town. Shipping yards, airports, anything. We need to stop them from getting all the boxes in one place."

Xander shakes his head, "I think it's to late. I seem to remember... that's it. When you went to check, you discovered the Judge was back together and got captured. Then you escaped then got together and Angel lost his soul."

"Okay then. Angel, you check out the place. Be careful and keep an escape route open. You see anything, get out of there fast. I'll talk to mom. Xander, you're in charge of getting the necessary supplies. If you need anything, ask. Willow, help Giles."

Giles "Yes. Yes, well, um, actually, that's quite a good plan."

Buffy "This thing is nasty, and it's real, Giles. We can't wait for them to make a move."

"Quite right."

Buffy grabs her bag, and she and Angel make tracks for the door.

* * *

Outside of Spike's warehouse, a figure enters a second floor window. Inside, Angel sneaks quietly along the upper level. He creeps to the railing and looks down. He looks down at the party going on below and sees the Judge walk into view with Spike and Drusilla following. The Judge suddenly stops and starts looking around.

Spike starts visually searching the place. "What? What is it?"

The Judge looks around, then up at Angel and growls.

Angel pulls back before he stands and runs for the window.

The vampires close in on both sides as he dives through the window and into the street below. By the time Spikes troops get there, Angel is long gone.

Spike looks as the vampires trail back in. "Well, well. He got away. Am I surrounded by morons?"

Several blocks away, Angel steps into the payphone. He inserts a coin, dials and waits. After getting an answer, he speaks "The Judge is whole."

* * *

Giles hangs up the phone. Turning to the small group, he returns to the table and wearily sits. "That was Angel. The Judge is whole."

Xander looks around. "Anyone have Oz's phone number?"

Willow sits in front of the computer. "I can find it."

Xander looks at Willow. "I need Cordelia for this one."

Willow glances down and nods in acceptance.

Cordelia looks up from her magazine. "Care to let me in on the plan I'm a part of?"

Xander: "Later."

"Why not now?" She stands up and rests her hands on her hips

"Because if I tell you, then you won't do it. Just meet me at Willow's house in half an hour. And wear something trashy..." He looks at her and smiles. "...er" before turning and walking off.

* * *

Buffy walks in the front door as Dawn, Tara and Faith are packing the living room in preparation for the move over the weekend. "Where's mom?"

Joyce calls out from the kitchen "In here, Buffy."

She walks into the kitchen and looks at the empty boxes piled everywhere. "Mom, have you heard a demon called the Judge?"

"Can't say that I have, dear."

"Last time he was active it took an army to stop him. Oh yeah, there's the no weapon forged can harm him bit and the burns the humanity from ya thing."

Tara, Dawn and Faith enter the kitchen as Joyce removes a bag of popcorn from the microwave. After dumping the bag into a bowl and setting it on the counter, Joyce looks at Buffy. "Sounds like it was created for a specific purpose. Some of the demon lords will transform one of their minions into such a weapon and send it on it's way. They tend to be arrogant and literally minded. Any ideas on how you're going to deal with it?"

"Xander remembers using a missile on it. All stamped and machined. No forging involved. We just have to get one."

Faith looks up. "You guys planning on blowing something up? Can I come?"

"The more the merrier and the faster we can clean up and leave."

"Just say the word, B."

"I'll let you know when we know."

* * *

Thursday evening, January 22, 1998

At the Army base outside Sunnydale. a group of soldiers stands at attention as their sergeant inspects them before issuing an order. "Right face, hu! Double-time, hu! Left, left, left, left..." As they march off, Oz's van pulls up just outside the fence behind a building.

Xander: "Wait here. When you guys see that window open get out the ladder, come up, we'll pass you the package, okay?"

Oz: "Okay."

Xander opens the side doors and gets out. Cordelia follows him. At the fence, Xander cuts enough links to push the fence aside and squeeze through. Cordelia follows right behind him. He glance around in disgust. "The security here really is a joke. I should, uh, report it."

Cordelia whispers "Who am I supposed to be again?"

Xander smirks at her. "You're supposed to be a girl. Think you can handle it?"

Cordelia slaps him on the arm before they sneak alongside of the building. Xander scouts the area from behind several crates. Not spotting anyone, Xander leads Cordelia past a truck. The sound of soldiers marching nearby reminds Xander to scout from their location behind the truck. Not seeing anyone, he waits a few minutes. Just as he is about to make his move, a guard moves. He waits for the guard to move around the corner, silently thanking the piss poor discipline around the base. He silently makes his way to the door and opens it. Stepping aside, he waves Cordelia through before scanning the area and entering. As the door clicks shut, the guard returns.

Cordelia looks around and quietly whispers "What was that? And who are you ?"

"Remember I got turned into a soldier on Halloween?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I still remember most of it. I know procedure, ordnance, access codes, everything. I know the whole layout for this base, and I'm pretty sure I can put together an M-16 in 57 seconds."

"Well, I'm sort of impressed. But let's just find the thing and get out of here."

"Okay." He starts looking around.

Cordelia hops onto a crate to sit. "So, does looking at guns really make girls wanna have sex? That's scary."

"Honestly, no idea."

"Well, does looking at guns make you wanna have sex?"

"I'm seventeen. Looking at linoleum makes me wanna have sex." Cordelia stares at him.

* * *

Spike's warehouse. The Judge slowly comes over to Spike and announces "I am ready."

"About bloody time."

Drusilla sits on his lap and kisses him. The Judge walks off in disgust. Drusilla dances after him

Spike: "Have fun, luv."

Drusilla smiles back at him and waves.

* * *

In Giles' office, Xander and Oz lift a long crate onto his desk and step back. Xander smiles as he wisecracks "Happy Birthday, Buffy. I hope you like the color."

She looks down at the box. Giles positions a crowbar on the lock.

Buffy "Giles, any word from Angel? If they're not be there, it could get ugly and they're on the offensive. We need to figure out where they'd go."

Giles lifts on the crowbar and breaks the clasp. "He called. Drusilla and the Judge are on the move." He opens the box.

Buffy looks into the box. "This is good."

Jenny stands in the doorway. "Is there something I can do?"

Buffy "Faith wants to help, Tara might. You can ask Amy. Oh, and Miss Calendar."

Jenny looks puzzled "Yes?"

"When Angel calls, let us know where they're going."

She smiles. "Sure. I'll use the library phone." She turns and leaves.

Xander steps up beside her. "Do you want me to show you how to use it?"

Buffy: "No. You're gonna fire it. You're our heavy weapons unit. And strangely, Jesse's our tech specialist." She turns to the group. "Load up. Giles, grab the crossbows."

Xander looks confused. "How'd you come up with that?"

"I listened to you talking about army organization. Besides, with twelve of us, we need different roles."


	29. Losses and Lessons

At the Sunnydale Mall, a set of double door at the end of the mall on a landing midway between

floors stand closed. As the milling crowd flows up and down the stairs, the doors open and the Judge and Drusilla walk in flanked by their troops, closing the doors behind them. A man in a suit walking up the stairs halts the Judge reaches out with his hand, and an arc of energy leaps from it to the man. The man freezes in surprise as he begins to smoke and rapidly begins to combust until, with a flare of smoke and flame, he disappears.

Drusillia sings softly "The party is just beginning and all guests are here."

As the vampires hurry down the stairs to seal the doors. She turns to the Judge "Time for the party." She giggles and the Judge smiles.

The Judge begins to descend the steps, pausing as young couple climbs on his right and on his left, an middle aged man tries to pass him. He spreads his arms and sends a tendrils of energy toward each. Each time the tendrils touch someone, the person freezes and more tendrils sprout from the victim seeking new targets until everyone is frozen, caught in a web of energy, awaiting for the Judge to pass sentence on the helpless crowd. Drusillia dances gleefully as she whispers to herself.

At an elevator across the court, a ding sounds and the doors open wide allowing Buffy to lead the group out. Giles and Xander follow carrying the crate on their shoulders. The others bring up

the rear, each one carrying a crossbow.

Buffy "Everybody keep back. Damage control only. Take out any lesser vamps if you can. I'll handle the leakers. Xand-man, get ready." She takes the crossbow Giles hands her and waits as the others ready their weapons. "Giles, Cordelia, Miss Calendar, try for Drusillia. Faith, Tara, Oz, Amy, pick a target and fire. Jesse, pick a vamp and see if your toy works."

The Judge gloats and as he begins to up the power towards lethal levels. When a crossbow bolt strikes him in the chest, he opens his eyes and forgets about his victims. The energy web flickers and dies as the dazed crowd mills about, slowly vacating the area. He reaches up and yanks the offending weapon out and growls out menacingly "Who dares?" He searches the place until he spots a petite blonde on a counter, while a young man beside her removes a large tube shaped object from a crate and swinging one end toward him. He roars in anger "You are a fool. No weapon forged can stop me."

Buffy smirks. "That was then."

Xander smiles as he rest the missile launcher at his shoulder. "This is now." He flips the arming switch and aims before he fires.

The Judge stands there, his confusion clear as he asks "What's that do?"

Drusillia recognizes the weapon and leaps from the landing seeking her escape. The other vamps begin to move as the missile leaves it's launch tube. The missile explodes in a flash as the crossbows launch their bolts at their targets. Two vamps turn to dust and of the three aimed at her, one strikes Drusillia in the right shoulder, another in her stomach and the last missing her. A flash of white and the missile explodes, fading away to reveal a damaged Judge being sheltered by the wing of the angel which drags the Judge out of the Mall. The now screaming and panicking people run for the exits.

"That was unexpected." Xander comments as he stares after the departing duo, lowering the tube.

Buffy glares at the retreating pair. "This is a problem. Gather up any pieces left and keep them separate. Any sign of Dru?"

Giles coughs. "She disappeared in the confusion."

Willow sighs. "This is bad."

* * *

Angel walks into the library and looks around at the depressed group. "What happened?"

Xander doesn't move as he says "Have a seat, dead boy." Angel grabs a chair and sits. "Remember that angel that was in town a few weeks back?" At Angel's confused nod "It's back and it saved the Judge. At least we got part of a foot and a hand."

"We need to search for a weakness involving the angel. Since it is aiding the Judge, Spike and Drusillia, we may have to deal with it. However, this will not be easy. It survived an anti tank rocket without apparent damage while preventing us from dealing with the Judge." Giles turns to the main door in surprise as the doors swing shut. "Ah, Mr Zabuto, what brings you here tonight?"

"Kendra insisted that I give a message to" He looks around at the five people. "Buffy, Willow and Xander."

The three look over and Buffy asks the obvious question. "What message?"

"She wanted me to inform you dat a new ability has been defined. It is an immunity to toxins and disease. Now, will one of you tell me why she bears a ring of pure chaos?"

Giles grimaces as he turns to the counter. "I'm afraid that it's a long story."

Xander smirks. "A chaos god chose her to be it's champion."

"Or not." Giles looks at the others before he gestures to the table. "Have a seat, Mr Zabuto."

Buffy stands and walks to the council. "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell the council." He nods his acceptance of the terms and she smiles. "We have come across some information dealing with the origin of the slayer line and how the council ended up in charge of. For a long time, this world was fought over by the forces of light and darkness. The forces of darkness slowly drove the good guys back but the world of both stayed equal. The Lords of Light created new worlds faster then the Lords of Darkness could conquer them. Our world is a nexus point, a place were many universes touch and with enough willpower, one could literally create a portal to any of those worlds. The demon armies just poured in and tried to take this world. But the armies of the light fought to hold this world, sacrificing other worlds to hold this one. So about twelve million years ago, out time, the Lords of Light created a general and dispatched her to this world, her task was to defend this world and a dozen others near by. She learned swiftly. She began to play the demon armies against one another. Finally, about ten million years ago, the Lords of Light led an army against the Lords of Darkness. There were no survivors on either side."

Angel, a bit confused, looks at the others and then to Buffy. "Are you sure of that? I mean, it's not like you or I could walk outside and just open a portal now, is it?"

"No, at least not now anyway. About a half million years ago, when the landmass of Lemuria and the isle of Atlantis came to exist in this world, the general created by the Lords of Light, now known as the demon queen Jayce, gathered the remaining high demons, the old ones, on Earth together. In their meeting, they decided to strengthen the dimensional walls to keep other invaders from threatening their territory. They joined their powers and knowledge and created the new defenses. But all these wards required a centerpiece, like the keystone of an arch. But the key also lets you open small portals."

Mr. Zabuto suddenly smiles in comprehension. "The Key of Dagon, also commonly referred to as the Key of Portals. It is said dat whoever controls the key can open a doorway to any world that they want to."

Xander stands and begins to pace. "At least now we know what the key is. And Glory is still looking for it. She going to come here in her search. And the Knights of Byzantium will follow her in their efforts to destroy the key because they claim it's to powerful to be allowed to exist. So," he looks around, "any ideas on how to kill a hell god?"

Giles stands up and begins to head for his office. Turning, he asks "Would anyone care for a cup of tea?" He takes the affirmations of the girls and his fellow watcher before returning in a few minutes with the requested cups and a tape recorder. He distributes the cups and turns the recorder on before taking his seat.

Willow takes her cup and takes a sip before she takes over. "Shortly after the creation of the Key, she assassinated the old one known as Illyria who was the reigning overlord of this world, this threw the demon kingdoms into chaos. Whenever a demon kingdom grew to powerful, she would stir up the others and tear it down and have them fighting over the remains. But between approximately a hundred and fifty to a hundred thousand years ago, humanity advanced enough to be noticed. The old ones were to busy squabbling amongst them selves to notice but since Jayce herself often disguised herself as a lesser creature, she swiftly noticed them and moved them to the land of Lemuria. As they began to grow and develop, she taught them the basics of magic and combat. In time, they scattered across the globe, founding the seven kingdoms such as Valusia and Thule and driving the fading serpent men out of their lands. But the serpents weren't completely defeated. They fought from the shadows, trying to corrupt or replace humanities' leaders and rulers but individuals like Kull drove them back. And when that age came to an end a little over forty thousand years ago, the world was shifted and Lemuria and Atlantis sank beneath the waves. The demons that still lived and some from beyond the sky returned to wreck havoc on the struggling survivors. The stirred war between the survivors in the Atlantian colonies and the Picts causing those groups to devolve into utter barbarism. Then three surviving mages summoned Jayce and asked for aid in creating a protector for their people. She lent a fraction of her power which they placed into a young girl and so the first slayer came to be. When she died, Jayce saw that even the tiny piece she loaned was to much for a human to contain without years of training before receiving the call. She split the line, one to hold the physical prowess and another to hold the mystic might. For the next thirty thousand years, as each slayer and sorceress was called, Jayce would travel to each and teach them what they needed to learn."

Giles reaches over and turns off the recorder. "I know the story from here. Approximately twelve thousand years ago, there was a war. It sank the Mediterranean and reshaped the continents. It was the war against the Ba'al ze Neckt. Civilization was reduced to the stone age yet again and the demons that survived were finally reduced to hiding in the shadows. The first vampires appeared on Earth during the war. Jayce fought both on this world and the others she was charged with protecting. By the end of the war was exhausted but the Ba'al were exiled behind the mirror. The powers that be struck then and sealed Jayce's powers and usurped the slayer line. They gave it into the keeping of the group that has since become the watchers."

"Dis is interesting, but that still doesn't answer my inquiry." Mr Zabuto reminds them.

"Late last year, Jayce began to break free of her bindings. At the same time, three beings from the Sea of Chaos chose twelve champions on this world. Kendra is one of them. And since Jayce seeks to reclaim the slayer line that she considers to be stolen from her. And she has begun moving against the council. She will bring the council to its knees, make no mistake. She's even admitted one of her death conditions is the elimination of the slayer line. All other things being equal, I must see to the well being of my slayer. And due to her breaking some of the seals on her power, I've seen an increase in both Buffy's and Kendra's strength, agility and healing rate. Among the others chosen, they've increased by an equivalent amount."

"How powerful are these chaos beings? And what are their intentions?"

"The Lords of Light and Darkness originally came from the Sea of Chaos. They were older but not the most powerful. The three who are intervening at this time are the three oldest and most powerful. As for their intentions, they seem to oppose slavery and promote the exercise of freewill. I think that we may be seeing the genesis of three new Lords of Light. Such an event would throw the rulers of countless worlds and inter dimensional realms into disarray." Giles takes a sip before continuing. "Also, shortly after Kendra was admitted to the hospital, a new slayer has been called. The young woman in question has been recently adopted. In fact, I expect another watcher to arrive in town soon and attempt to take her away."

"How do you know dis?"

"Buffy?"

"My new sister broke a post just after Kendra went into surgery. You remember Faith?" At his nod, "She's the new one. And she has a lot of problems. Abuse, neglect. She needs our help and I was hoping that while you're in town and Kendra is recovering, you could help us out and oversee her training."

"Kendra should be well in a couple of weeks. Do you think dat's enough time to do much?"

"Kendra won't leave the hospital for a month, minimum. The knife that injured her slows her healing. Until it heals, she'll only recover as fast as if she weren't a slayer. And they still need to remove the bullets embedded in her back. Her ring saved her life there too. Now, we need to find and kill the Judge, without the angel protecting it. Mom said such demons turned to weapons tend to be arrogant and literal. Any ideas?"

Xander smiles. "Narrow minded and arrogant? Then we need to lure it out and hit it. We just need the proper bait. It's a good thing I grabbed the second one. Angel, any ideas?"

"It's a transformed demon?" He smiles. "We use me as bait. Most demons think of vampires as lower beings, an insult to their purity. Given my state, I should see me as a traitor and follow. If I'm careful, I could lead it into your ambush. Since it has doesn't like me, it should follow."

"Good. Set it up for tomorrow evening. Oh, and take Jesse's rifle. It wasn't forged either." she trails off uncertainly.

He puzzles over her meaning until the metaphoric light bulb flashes then he nods when he understands her idea. "Good idea, Buf."

She turns to study the new watcher and comes to a decision. "Mr. Zabuto, we have a problem and since you're here, I'd like your opinion on it."

"Certainly, Miss Summers. What is the problem?" He looks at her, studying the young champion sitting there.

"It concerns the town mayor. We have reason to believe that he is attempting an ascension, to become a pure demon. Our information comes from someone that's seen a version of the next fifteen years."

* * *

A dark skinned shark mouthed demon in a business suit and tie carrying a four foot long by two foot wide box six inches deep enters into Holland Manners office where he is meeting with a blonde haired woman in a red dress. "Holland, I have your item." He sets the box on the desk as the two humans stand up.

Holland opens the box and looks down at the pieces of the broken weapon. "Excellent. I'll see to your payment as soon as I'm finished here. I'll bring it to Caritas tonight."

"That is acceptable." The demon turns and leaves.

After he leaves the office, Holland gestures toward the box. "Well, Glorificus, the fragments of the Blood Axe of the Demon Queen Jayce. The last one to claim the title and an accomplished assassin from the few records that remain."

Glory takes the pieces and places them together one by one. When she finishes, she lifts the double bladed axe from the box and holds it upright. "It has a connection to the key?" she inquires as she give the weapon a test swing.

"Jayce assisted in the key's crafting and guarded it until her death. She crafted this as her personal weapon. If any item on Earth can aid your efforts, this is it. But if I may inquire?..."

"The monks no longer guard it. The few I managed to question have no idea where it is or so they told me." She examines the weapon carefully. "Blood steel."

"Yes, it is. Which surprises me. I've never heard rumors of such a weapon. The only blood steel items we have records of are knives and rings."

"A weapon fit for a god."

* * *

Giles and Kendra's watcher sit in Giles' living room, the book shelves filled with old books giving off a calming influence to the two gentlemen. The coffee table holds the two teacups sitting on their saucers as Zabuto studies the other watcher. "You do know that the council will never give up control of the slayers."

Giles sighs. "I know. But they can't win this fight." he picks up his cup. "What would of happened if Kendra had managed to kill Buffy when she first came to Sunnydale. She did manage to attack her while Buffy was asleep."

"They would have assumed that she had gone rogue and made plans to return her to England for trail and execution."

"Precisely. And why did she attack her? She though Buffy was either a vampire or she was in league with them."

"You can't blame her for that, Rupert." He takes his cup and sips.

"I don't, Sam. The council didn't give you the information you needed. When did you find out my slayer was still around?"

"Only after Kendra came back and made her report. I had never conceived of two slayers being alive at the same time."

"Yes, it was unprecedented. Of course the council never bothered to tell either of us. And now we have three. Speaking of which, I would appreciate your assistance in training Faith while you're here. She's had a rough time both on the streets and before she left her mothers place."

"It would be a pleasure to assist you."

* * *

Buffy quietly slips in the front door so as not to disturb her family when she notices the kitchen light is on. Walking into the kitchen, Joyce looks up from the notebook she's writing in. "Hey, Buffy. I heard about the Judge."

Buffy walks to the fridge and grabs a container of yogurt. "We had it, mom. If that angel hadn't shown up, we..."

"You would have blown the Judge to little pieces." Joyce interrupts. "Honey, you can't really blame it."

"Why not?" she grabs a spoon and opens the yogurt.

"Because it has no freewill. It can only do what it's ordered to do. After my creators died, all the new angels and other equally powerful servants the various ruling powers created don't have it. Only the old ones like me have free will. And most of us have been killed off or sealed away. Blame those that made it."

"You mean like my destiny?"

"That's right." She sets down her pen and closes the notebook. Turning to Buffy, Joyce studies her daughter carefully. Sighing as she comes to a decision, she smiles. "Do you realize that you are my heir?"

"Your heir? Is something gonna happen to you?" Buffy begins to panic.

"Not that I know of. What I mean is that there are some things I should teach you in case something does happen. Things I have never taught anyone before."

"Why now and why me?"

Joyce reaches over and touches Buffy's ring of chaos. "To be able to do this, to reach out to the Sea of Chaos is a rare gift. At most, one in a billion have the capability. Even fewer ever use the ability. Because you have this, I can teach you how to craft blood steel."


	30. Moving day

Friday, January 23, 1998

Angel softly closes the door behind him, making sure that it will remain unlocked. Then he cautiously slips through the shadows until he finds a spot where can see the Judge and no one else. As the Judge turns to look at someone out of his view, Angel waves.

As the flash of motion draws his attention, the Judge brings his hand up to his next victim and burns the helpless prisoner away. As the two vampires leave, he turns to the shadowed recess and takes a step forward.

Angel lens forward and smiles as the Judge takes his step. He brings his hands up and places his hands beside his ears and begins to visually insult and antagonize the demon, slowly leading the fiend toward the alley door.

* * *

Xander anxiously clutches the missile launcher as he waits for Angel to lure the Judge out of the old factory and into the alley. Jesse crouches across and behind him, the laser carbine from Halloween in his grasp and half charged. Giles waits in his car across the street, his own crossbow ready. He forces himself to look at the edge of the door and focus on the knob just visible in the dim light. He concentrates on it as he slowly calms his breathing, bringing it back to normal. The door quietly swings open and Angel backs out. As the door starts to swing shut, Angel leaps behind the door and begins to run down the alley away from the waiting pair.

A split second later, the door is ripped from it's hinges and the Judge stalks through the doorway. Turning towards the fleeing vampire, he begins to follow. Jesse raises his weapon as Xander leaves his cover and brings the weapon to bear.

The judge, warned by some dim instinct begins to turn, his eyes widening at the sight of Xander standing there with the missile launcher, his finger beginning to squeeze the trigger.

Jesse's finger tightens on the trigger and bolts of coherent light rip through the demon. Xander finishes pulling the trigger and the missile leaps from the launch tube, briefly illuminating the trash strewn alley in light before it slams into the Judge's chest. The fuse does the task it was designed to do and sends the impulse that detonates the warhead and blackened pieces of blue flesh and armor scatter along the trash and asphalt.

By the time Spike and his minions hastily exited the door, all of them are gone, into the night.

* * *

Inside the factory, the angelic being,, if it were capable, would be furious. But the cold emotionless being simply stands as fragments of the Judge are brought in. Spike holds Drusillia on his lap, her face turned as she whispers in his ear. "The gold ones have sent their light and their warriors are waking. Soon the dark princess will be revealed and her blood will taste like steel. It hurts, her blood will hurt us, Spike, if we stay."

Spike looks around the factory, at his former minions now serving the angel. He strokes her back. And whispers back. "We'll leave as soon as we can. Wherever you want to go luv."

* * *

Saturday morning, January 24, 1998

As Xander knocks at the front door with Jesse, Oz and his band mates there to help with the big move. Joyce opens the door and waves everyone in. "Breakfast is ready, help yourselves. We'll start loading in an hour and hopefully, we'll be moved by tonight. Mr. Giles should be here soon with the U-Haul."

As they walk in the front door and into the kitchen, Xander looks around. Faith, Tara and Dawn are eating breakfast. "Where's Buffy?" he inquires.

Joyce steps up to the stove and starts serving the hungry new comers. "She has to study."

* * *

In the basement of the mansion on Crawford Street, that would have housed Angelus had things not changed, in one of the side rooms lit both by the fire above which hangs a crucible and the light fixture on the ceiling, Buffy Summers, in tank top and shorts, uses a hammer and chisel to carve into the soft stones on the workbench before her. The closed door behind her traps the heat as she strikes her blows, the form of an arrowhead taking slowly taking shape in the two pieces. Finally, she stops and sets the tools aside.

She crosses to the wooden table by the door and takes the light blue towel from above the stack of paper resting there. She then studies top sheet of the stack before flipping the sheet and reading the next one while wiping the sweet from her forehead with the towel.

She steps to the far wall and opens the large bin and scoops out a several ounces of a mixture of powered bronze and iron. She turns and pours the metal dust into the crucible before replacing the scoop. She turns to the crucible and draws the knife sheathed at her side. She brings her left hand up and slices across the palm. She places her hand above the crucible and begins to chant in some long forgotten language, the harsh and sibilant sounds echoing strangely in that room as her blood drips into the pot.

* * *

Joyce pulls up at the mansion and exits her vehicle. She watches for a moment as Xander and Devon carry in the living room couch, before opening the rear door and removing the stack of pizzas and carrying them inside. As she enters the front door and heads toward the dining room, the hungry teenagers begin to gather, drawn by the signs of pizza. As the others begin to eat, Joyce takes two pizzas and walks out of the room and down the hallway toward the kitchen. There, she opens a door and, as she is about to descend the stairs to the basement, Xander calls out "Hey, mom, where's Buffy? I thought she'd be here helping out."

"She's in the basement, practicing. I was about to take lunch down to her." They descend and cross the main basement the left one of the three doors on the far side. Joyce opens the door and Xander begins to enter before pausing as a wave of heat from the room cause him to pause in surprise.

Buffy looks up from the stool she's perched wearily on as Xander enters the room, followed by her mother. She grabs the wet towel and tries to wipe the sweat off her face. Her eyes light up at the pizza boxes, her stomach growling audibly. "Hey Xander, mom."

Joyce sets the boxes in the work bench. "Hey dear. Just checking up on you. May I?"

"Sure mom." She opens the top box and takes a slice and swiftly devours it while Joyce momentarily goes into a trance.

Xander looks around the room. "What ya doing, Buff?"

She grabs the half empty glass of water and gulps it down before she answers. "Mom is teaching me how to make blood steel."

"What's that?" Xander asks, curiosity etched on his face.

Buffy looks at him. "I'll show you later." She grins cheekily. "I don't want to give you anything to use against me later, so... I'll see you later okay?"

"Fine, I know when I'm not wanted. I'll see ya later, Buff." Xander slips out.

Joyce looks at Buffy. "It's better then I expected for your first attempt. Have you learned anything?"

"I have. It's difficult to channel my strength into it."

"Most of the power you're trying to imbue is lost in the channeling. Don't worry too much about it. That's what practice is for, so you can learn how to focus the power, with as little loss as you can manage." She looks at her daughter and pulls her into a hug. "I still loose some of the power."

"Thanks mom." Buffy hugs her mom in contentment. "So I just have to keep at it, huh?"

"Yeap."

* * *

As Joyce hands the guys fifty bucks each for their help, Xander grabs Oz to ask when the band will be at the Bronze next. As his hand makes contact, Xander's ring shines and duplicates. As the golden worm like makes it's way down Oz's arm and onto and around his finger, his only reaction is "Cool."

* * *

Monday, January 26, 1998

Quintin Travers grasps the podium before him firmly as he looks out at the other members of the governing board of the Council of Watchers. "My distinguished colleagues. We have a situation that threatens our very existence. A threat that seeks to usurp our control of the slayer line. A demon has recently awoken from millenniums of slumber. It has struck at this very council. It has struck at me. I stand here today, but not intact. The fiend managed to affect me with it's dire powers. I tell you this not to cause panic, but to prepare us for war."


	31. Records and Lessons

Friday, January 30, 1998

As the bell rang, crying out that the school day was finally over, Buffy walks out of her last class and makes her way to the library. As she was walking through the hall, she spots a tall pale man carrying a briefcase slipping into the office. She leans against the wall and focuses of trying to make out just what is being said inside.

Inside the office, Snyder looks at the visitor. "What do you want, Mr. . ."

The other voice speaks in a culture British accent. "My name is Reginald Winthrop, headmaster Snyder. I am here as the court appointed guardian of my niece, Faith Lehane. Her parents, including my sister, recently died in an automobile accident in Boston. As the closest relative, it is my duty to step in. Since I reside in England, I require a copy of her records for her new school." He opens his case and removes a file folder and places it on the principal's desk.

Snyder opens the file and looks at Faith's picture inside. "Ah, her. She's staying with a bad egg. Let me check her file. It'll take just a moment." He turns to his computer and calls up her records. "Hmm. It seems, Mr Winthrop, that our records show that Faith Summers is the legal child of a Mrs. Joyce Summers."

Reginald freezes momentarily at the news. "That's surprising. I'm quite sure that they would have told the family if such a thing was true. Now I simply must insist that I be given a copy of my niece's records at once."

Snyder looks at the man. "As much as I would like to see that troublemaker go, I'm afraid that I can't do that. Unless you can legally prove your claims, I can not release any records to you."

"Very well then. If you will excuse me." He stands and leaves the office.

As he begins to stand, Buffy takes off for the nearest corner, making it around the corner just as the Englishman enters the hall.

* * *

Buffy enters the library, chewing nervously at her lip. Setting her books down on the table beside her girlfriend, she calls out "Giles!" as she glances around the room.

Willow looks up from her homework. "Hew, what's up?"

Giles appears in his office door. "Yes, Buffy?" He makes his way to the table.

"There was a guy in Snyder's office with an English accent trying to get Faith's records and claiming to be her new guardian. His name was Reggie Winner top or something like."

Giles grimaces at the horrid pronunciation until he widens his eye. "Was his name Reginald Winthrop by any chance?"

Buffy sits down. "Yeap, that was it. But Snyder didn't give him anything cause he was after Faith Lehane's records."

Giles sits down. "Well, we know that they've decided to fight."

Willow giggles at the comment. "They're not fighting very smart."

"What do you mean, Willow?" Giles inquires.

"Priss was involved in a lot of fighting. And despite being a hot head and going off half-cocked a lot, she knew the importance of intelligence and surveillance. The council struck a blow without enough research."

Buffy takes Willow's hand in her's. "You mean they didn't dig to much into Faith's past."

Willow smiles happily. "That's right, sweety." She leans in and gives Buffy a quick peck on the cheek. "If they had, they would of known about the adoption." Suddenly, her eyes darken with worry. "Oh, Giles, we should check on her parents. If the council has some one claiming to be her new guardian. . ."

Giles nods his head, his posture shifting to that of his youth. "You do that, Willow. I'll call Mr Zabuto and a few others. In the meantime, Buffy, you should inform Joyce and Faith what happened."

She nods and picks up her books. "Come on, Will. You can use mom's computer and then we can study at my place, maybe dinner and some Bronzing later. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good." As she starts gathering up her things. "See ya, Giles. I'll call if I find anything."

* * *

Later that night, Buffy and Willow leave the dance floor and make their way back toward their friends sitting around the table.

Xander sits there, Jesse on his right, Faith to his left, looking a little depressed, and Tara on her left. Amy talks with Oz as the band takes a break. Xander stands and heads toward the restrooms, but instead of going in, he turns and makes his way to where Cordelia sits, her minions busy with their mindless gossip.

On the upper level, Percy and Larry stand beside another team member, the three of them watching the people enjoying their Friday night. Larry gasps the rail with his right hand, the knuckles white. "Are you sure about this?" he asks.

Percy , on the other side, continues on. "Yeah, why is she the one we gotta do?"

The middle figure leans against the rail, his eyes following every move Buffy makes below. "She's got some magic to her, enough for us to get the servants we need in order to accomplish our goals."

Percy glances down briefly. "I can't maintain the coverage you want on her."

"Why not?"

Percy shivers at the cold tones. "The devices stopped working just before they moved in. And I can't place any new ones. And there always seems to be someone in the library, Blaine."

"Do what you can. We need her properly prepared by the next equinox." The center figure speaks, his face obscured by shadows.

* * *

Saturday, January 31, 1998

Saturday morning, Joyce walks through the to answer the front door to find Ira Rosenberg standing there, nervously. "Come in. I've just put coffee on if you'd like some."

"Thank you. I would appreciate that." He follows her to the kitchen where she fills a cup and hands it to him. He sips, gathering his nerve until, finally, he speaks. "What's going on, Mrs Summers?"

She takes a sip before replying. "That's an awfully big topic. What do you want to know?"

"Over the past few months, I've begun to notice things, strange and frightening things about this town." He takes sip and sets the cup down. "And whenever something strange happens, it seems that your daughter is there. Either she's involved or in the area."

"And you thought I might be someone you could talk to without being immediately condemned as crazy. Okay, ask away, Mr. Rosenberg."

"It's Ira. Do you know why there are so many deaths caused by falling on barbeque forks?"

Joyce chuckles. "Then it's Joyce. I do. It's a means to hide the real reason by giving an explanation that sounds plausible. The 'gangs on PCP' is the same way. This town does have an infestation, but it's not the typical gangs everyone thinks of. There are truths in the shadows that most of humanity is incapable of accepting. They rewrite their memories so that they don't have to face the darkness. And once you open your eyes, you can never go back to normal. It will draw you in and most people will think you're insane, if you try to reveal it."

He sips his coffee as he ponders her words. Finally, he sets down his empty cup. "Thank you for your time. I see that I have much to think about."

After she shows him to the front door, she says "If you do decide to look into the darkness, you're more then welcome to stop by here or the gallery."

* * *

Sunday, February 1, 1998

That morning, Willow and Joyce sit in a basement room, adjacent to the one Buffy toils in for her lesson. Willow studies the woman before, gathering her courage before asking her question. "Why are you teaching me and not the others?" She tips her head forward and lets her hair hide her face.

Joyce smiles gently. "Miss Calendar is a techno pagan. Amy and Tara are witches. And for now, you are a witch. But you are next in line to be called to the other half of my power. When you are called, you will be a sorcerer by my definitions. You will be able to call on a large amount of personal power that the others won't have. The magic will become a part of you, just out of awareness and yet at your fingers. When that happens, you will need to be able to control the power."

"What do you mean, mom?" Willow asks uncomfortably.

Joyce smiles before she answers. "A witch has their own power, like a glass of water, that they can use to power their spells without calling on outside sources. When you become my sorceress, your glass will jump in size to that of a barrel. They will be able to take their power and pour. You will need to develop a measuring cup, so to speak, to help you use enough power to do the spell without overloading it."

Willow looks at her and sighs. "To much power, huh? So it would be like trying to run a computer on to much power, huh."

"In a way, yes. Are you ready then, Willow?" The redhead nods in acceptance.

* * *

Several hours later, Joyce enters the adjacent room where Buffy sits before a table, carving on a piece of granite while a crucible heats over the flames. Buffy looks up at the tray of food her mom is carrying. "What's that for?"

"Your lunch." She sets it down on a clear section of the table. "You need more then you've been eating."

Buffy sets down her tools and begins to pick at the food. " Why am I making this?" She gestures toward the block of granite.

"Basalt and granite work best for molds. Formed from molten stone deep underground preferably, they help contain and channel your life force with out contamination from any other life force residues that may be left in the non igneous types of rock. Basalt works best for armor, granite for weaponry. As for this..." She picks up the stone and studies the rough cube being shaped into it. "This is the only way to make things of any size. You first form the base building block of materials. Blood and iron form the basic frame for the power it will hold. Other ingredients will channel some of it's powers or attributes. Bronze, for instance, helps both fire and lightning. Then when you have enough blood steel blocks, you can form it into the final object. Think of it as the Lego approach to enchanted weaponry. Except that when the item is assembled, you can fuse it into a solid and permanent whole and sell it or give it to anyone to use."

"But why am I making it?"

"To attune the mold to your life force, to establish a connection with your blood and sweat. This a primal type of magic. There is nothing completely immune to it, unlike the magic of words and gestures most witches use. Blood and flesh can affect beings that were forged in the fires of creation, as I was."


	32. Drive Through

Tuesday, February 3, 1998

As the last bell sounds, freeing them from their daily grind, Buffy heads toward the library. As she enters the knowledge laden room and sets her books next to where Willow is sitting, she turns and calls out "Hey, Giles, you here?"

A muffled exclamation is shortly followed by Giles exiting his office followed by a younger man wearing tweed and glasses. "Ah, hello, Buffy. This is, is.."

The stranger smiles in greeting. "My name is Wesley Wyndam Pryce the third. It is a distinct pleasure to meet you."

Buffy and Willow look at each other and nod as they say in unison. "New watcher."

He looks at them, flabbergasted. "How did you know?"

Buffy holds up one hand and counts off, listing names as she goes. "Merrick, Giles, Travers and Zabuto. You all smell the same funny way."

Giles looks at her, surprised. He walks to her and sits when she does. "Can you describe this scent? I've never heard of anything like it."

"It's hard to describe. It's not really a smell, but it's really distinctive. Much stronger then any vampires I've met." She shrugs her shoulders. "It reminds me of blood and iron mixed with angel feathers and lilies with a hint of leather. Merrick's wasn't that strong, and your's and Zabuto's are fading. But his and Travers are strong and, and rigid. It's like the longer you're in the field and away from your headquarters, the weaker it gets, the more flexible." She stops, a quizzical expression on her face as she considers for a moment before her eyes light up in realization. "Ethan had a similar kind of scent, all twisted up gold and black and, and madness. And one of the jocks has one too, all red dust and grimy sunlight, just like those things that attacked us and injured Travers." She trails off thoughtfully.

Willow reaches over as Buffy grabs for her hand.

Giles looks at Wesley. "It seems like a variation of the typical slayer's ability to detect vampires." He stands up and heads toward the bookcases. "Is it simple an variation, or is it something that's been locked away? Since the source of your powers is breaking free of her seals, it's quite possible that her abilities are flowing through the link you two have. If so, then you two could develop all sorts of unusual senses and unknown abilities."

Wesley stands there, shocked at he information being revealed. "What do you mean about the source of the slayer's power is waking? Does this have anything to do with Mr. Travers' curse?"

Giles looks up in surprise and turns around. "She is the one who cursed him. And until the slayer line is back under her control, the curse will remain."

"The council was given the line to protect humanity by the powers that be, since it's creation over ten millennium ago."

"You mean when it was stolen from the one who had it for some thirty thousand years before that."

Buffy stands up and calls out. "Hey, guys. Let's focus here. The Ba'al za Neckit have a cultist among the jocks. You know, the guys that wiped out civilization about twelve thousand years ago before being banished and the Med was filled."

Wesley smiles as he begins to lecture. "That simply is not true. The Mediterranean sea was filled..."

"After the straits of Gibralter were broken open about then. And since the remains of a city on the sea floor is secretly being explored by agents of the council." Giles interrupts. He studies Buffy as she sits there holding Willow's hand. "Thank you for reminding me. They are a concern. So is the Hell goddess Glorificus, the Mayor's planned ascension next year, the Initiative and their experiments, and the remains of Acathla in a few months. Fortunately, Xander, Jesse and Angel have dispatched the Judge."

Wesley heavily sits as he hears the list of coming problems.

"Yes, well, I've contacted the council for assistance in dealing with the mayor, Buffy. Hopefully, we should see some activity of that front by the end of the school year." Giles looks around. "I don't mean to pry, but where is Xander?"

Willow answers. "He's out with Cordelia. And Jesse is spending a lot of time at the hospital."

"So, finally over Cordelia, huh?" Buffy grins at her. "Just as well" She suddenly starts. "Giles, can you check something out for me?" She digs into her pack searching for something, soon removing the first piece of blood steel she had crafted in a plastic bag. "Could you see what this is?"

Giles takes the bag and holds it up to examine small the blood red triangle. "I'll check my volumes."

"All right, Giles. Let me know what you find." She packs her books and leaves with Willow.

Giles notices as Wesley moves closer and puts it in his pocket before he begins to ask Wesley about his abilities.

* * *

As Buffy and Faith walk through the alleys near the docks, they softly chat about recent events.

"Faith, I'm just saying it's suspicious that they sent Wesley here when they have two watchers in town already. After my first watcher died, they waited for me to move here before making contact and trying to regain control. And Xander told us that it was months before they did anything in that other time line. He's probable here as a spy for the council. Faith." She reaches out and grabs the other girl's hand and pulls her around until she captures Faith's eyes. "Keep an eye on him, sister. You're important."

A scream breaks the quiet night and they turn and run toward it. Once they reach the end of the alley, a black limousine cruises out of the Happy Burger with the legs of one of the staff hanging out the rear driver side window. As Faith stands shocked, Buffy concentrates on the car as it turns a corner out of sight. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a pencil stub and a small notepad and writes down the licence number.

"We should follow them, see where they're holed up at." Faith speaks, her hands clenching.

"No, we shouldn't. We try to follow and they see us, they'll know there's a slayer in town and after them. They'll keep in the shadows and see if they can hit us first. We'll step up patrols and check out Willie tomorrow. But first, we find out what a vampire from your old neighborhood is doing here, and why."

* * *

Wednesday, February 4, 1998

Giles looks up as the library doors open, wondering who would be there so early as Buffy walks in alone. "Hey Giles, You know of any reason a vamp from Boston would be in Sunnydale?"

"I can't think of anything. Why do you ask?"

"I was showing Faith around town last night." She describes the incident and Giles removes his glasses and begins to polish them. Buffy stops speaking and smacks her forehead. "I'm so stupid. It's Kendra. Whoever had her followed by that demon Angel killed in the hospital is in town and she's nearly helpless."

"You could be correct, Buffy. I'll call Mr. Zabuto and inform him of the possibility and then I'll begin my research. You should inform the others to meet here after class."

"Will do." she pauses for a moment. "Is Wesley around?"

"He hasn't arrived yet. Why?"

"Have you had a chance to find out anything about what I gave you yesterday?"

"Not much. It doesn't seem to be of natural origin though."

"Thanks, Giles. See ya later" She walks out.

* * *

Jesse pauses as he passes by Giles' new house, the one Giles now rents from Joyce, the teenager's eye is drawn to the figure hidden in the bushes checking something and glancing up at the house. Suddenly the figure stands up and starts walking slowly toward Crawford street and the new Summer's residence. Jesse forces himself to walk toward the school as he studies the robe clad figure from the corner of his eye. 


	33. Sliced Rage

Jesse walks into the library fifteen minutes after the last bell of the day. Xander calls out "Where were you today?" As Buffy and Willow sit across the table, holding hands and talking softly to each other.

"I saw something strange this morning. A guy in a robe was outside Giles place when I walked by. He was looking at something in his hand. Then he headed for the Crawford place. About halfway there, he changed and headed for Dawns school. I then followed him back to a warehouse and kept watch all day. About two, five guys in chain mail walked in and I decided to leave before they spotted me and let you know what I saw."

Xander leans back and closes his eyes. "A guy in a robe?"

Buffy stands up, reluctantly releasing Willow's hand. "Just a moment." She walks up the stairs and disappears into the stacks. A few minutes later, she returns with a large volume. Opening the book, she looks through the pages and finally turns it around and slides it across the table. "Like that?" she asks as she sits down, taking Willow's hand once more.

Jesse looks down and nods. "Just like that."

"So somebody in monk'y robes is in town, tracking da..." Buffy's eyes open wide as she realizes something. "They're trying to track the key."

Giles exclaims from the counter "Dear Lord. And the fellows in armor could be the Knights of Byzantium."

Xander nods grimly. "Right. So the first order of business is to protect the Key. Second, make sure that these really are the Knights. If they are, then what? And there's still Glory."

Willow looks up from her book. "Guys, maybe we could do a spell to hide it for a few days, or, or maybe we can run it's signal through another location. We could set up a false trace, to make it harder for them to find!" Her face glows with excitement.

"That could work." Giles muses. "Still, Buffy, I want you and Faith to swing by on patrol tonight. Xander, Willow, I need you to help settle Kendra into my flat. Sam is getting her released soon. Buffy, if you can get a whiff of them, would it be possible to track them down?"

Buffy shakes her head. "It doesn't work like that. All I can do is tell if they belong to the same magickey group."

Xander looks at Buffy, a hint of glee in his eyes. "A whiff of them?" he inquires.

Buffy sighs as she glances at them. "Seems I have a power up. I can somehow smell the groups that people have joined."

He takes a moment to consider her words and fighting to keep a grin off his face, he asks "So now we have blood hound Buffy on the case?"

She glares at the unrepentant Xander before she answers Giles. "I'll sneak by." She glances round the library. "Where's Wesley at?"

"He's applying for a position as my assistant. All that paper work and applications to fill out. The council rushed him over here so fast that they couldn't get his cover in place." Giles informs them.

"So where will we meet to talk about other stuff, stuff that we don't want the watchers to know about, you know the other watchers, not you Giles." Willow blushes as Buffy rests her hand on Willow's leg under the table.

"I've been giving that subject some thought, myself." Giles looks at the four of them. "Go, we'll talk later." He shoos them out of the library.

* * *

Joyce looks up with a smile as Buffy and Faith stagger in early in the AM. They sit down as Joyce uncovers the tray of sandwiches. "How'd it go, girls?"

Faith grins. "I got three, Miss, Mom."

Buffy nods "I got two. We swept the industrial district. Jesse saw a monk type person and followed him around town this morning. He ended up at a warehouse where some guys in armor met him. I went to get a sniff, and well, the monk is dead and the five guys were talking about the beast and how the key must be destroyed."

"I see." Joyce sits down and clasps her hands together, resting her elbows on the table top. "Thank you for telling me this, Buffy. And now, I will deal with the matter."

Faith looks up, concern clearly written on her face. "Why ? We should be the ones to.." She falls silent as she looks as Joyce's eyes, for once momentarily unshielded.

As they swiftly return to their normal caring appearance, Joyce speaks. "The key is something I helped to make long ago. It helps keep the spells laid to strengthen the dimensional walls intact. Otherwise, portals would be very easy to open and all of the Hell mouths would be open and anything could pass though, even the big boys."

Faith looks on shocked as she sees a glimpse of Joyce in full demon queen mode.

Buffy nods her head in acceptance. "If you need any help, ask, please, mom."

"Very well, Buffy. If I need anything." she says firmly.

* * *

Thursday, February 5, 1998

Joyce, dressed in dark grey jeans and long sleeved blouse, looks around the place. Pizza is on order for dinner and, except for Dawn who is staying at her friends tonight, the kids are studying at the Martian pod. She nods and disappears into a shadow that shrinks to a vertical line and disappears.

As the knights arm themselves, Joyce manifests in the shadows near the roof. As soon as she sees the knights arm themselves, she scans the building to locate the guards. Spotting the three of them, she slips along the girders to the wall and drops down to the floor, landing lightly. She slips out from the wall, into the aisles between the nearly empty shelving. She ghosts to the side door behind the guard and reaches out and takes the knife at his belt and whips it up and plants it in the guards neck as her left hand covers his mouth. As he begins to collapse, her right hand snaps down, catching the falling sword before it clatters to the floor. She pauses, her head cocked for a moment before she carefully and quietly pushes the sword into the door frame, jamming the door shut. She repeats her actions at the main door before she turns and calmly walks toward the offices the knights are using, smiling slightly as she leaves the sealed door behind her.

They look up as the tapping of Joyce's low heels against the worn concrete floor draws their attention. She walks calmly toward the dozen remaining knights as they prepare themselves for battle. She pauses halfway through the open area before the knights and simply waits, her hands empty. "Who's in charge?" she asks.

One of the knights steps forward as the others begin to circle around her. "I command this detachment, beast."

"Good. First thing, I am not Glory." She glares at the knight as he struggles to hold up under her gaze. "Second, the key is under my protection. You come after it and I'll deal with you."

"We are many. If we fall, more will be sent, if an army is needed, we will send an army."

"Doesn't matter. I've slain demon armies before. And most likely, I will again." She shrugs.

"We will not be intimidated by a servant of the beast." A hand gesture from their commander sends them after her, battle cries on their lips.

She shifts.

The knight's leader lowers his sword as the sudden sight of dark feathered wings dripping his men's blood as the four knights behind her fall to the floor in pieces. The now light gray haired woman stands there, her body covered in semi revealing dark purple leather. She steps forward, until she stands in close before him. As she casually snaps her wings out twice more, until the knight commander is the only one left. "Tell your superiors that I protect the key from any who would use or destroy it. And if by some miracle, they manage to get past me, then hell will come to this world again." She reaches out and touches his right hand. As she burns a symbol into the back of his hand, she pulls him forward and whispers into his ear "I helped drive the old ones off this world once before. I don't want to have to do it again. Anything that threatens the key that I helped to craft, I will destroy. Tell your superiors I will deal with Glory. Oh, and have a nice day." She turns and begins to walk away, shifting to shadow and disappearing within a second.

* * *

As Faith and Tara walk through the dark night, chatting and tentatively holding hands, Buffy follows behind them, listening to the night. The scrape of leather on stone draws her attention to the dark alley as they pass by it. She calls to Faith "Wait a minute, sis." Faith and Tara stop and look back as Buffy steps closer to the alley, her senses on alert, her hand drawing a stake..

Faith watches and begins to draw a stake as Tara steps next to the wall, fumbling in her purse for a cross. As Tara draws her cross, five vampires rush out of the alley.

Buffy snaps a punch into the first one, sending him flying as ths second swings at her. She ducks under and blocks his punch before snap kicking him toward Faith. The third manages to punch her in the face and then again, spinning her half way around. Faith grabs the one thrown at her and rams him into the side of the building head first. As the third reaches forward to grab Buffy, she drops forward onto her hands and spin kicks both him and the fourth one.

The fifth vampire pauses and looks around, her lips sneering. She sees Tara sliding away and heads for her, slipping between Buffy and Faith.

Buffy punches the first one in the gut as it charges her. As it bends over, she grabs it's head and twists. The weakest thing gives and the vampire begins spinning around in the air until he bounces on the sidewalk. Faith grabs her targets arm and run spins around, slamming him into the wall again. Buffy punches number three in the gut with a left followed by a quick stab with her drawn stake. The stake pierces the heart and the vampire twists away, ripping the stake from Buffy's hand before he dusts. The two facing take advantage and grab her by the arms and run her into the alley and into the side of a dumpster. Buffy staggers back a step before she back flips to gain space. As she lands, the first vampire sweeps her feet, sending her to the ground. The other one after jumps for her but misses and lands heavily as she rolls to the side, drawing her back up stake as she regains her feet.

Faith punches her opponent in the chest. He returns a blow to her cheek. She blocks the next two blows then backhands the vampire. She snaps out "My dead mother hits harder then that." She grabs him by his jacket and throws him back against a mail drop box. She grabs the front of his shirt and punches him in the face.

Tara backs away from the fight, finally pulling the cross as the last vampire closes on her. She thrusts the cross forwards. The vampire recoils momentarily but soon continues to push forward, causing Tara to cry out "Ah, guys, a little help over here."

Buffy glances over at Faith, who just beating the vampire's face while making sure he doesn't go anywhere. "Faith!" she yells, "Just stake him already! Tara needs help!" Seeing Faith continue on, she throws her stake at the vampire attacking Tara. Buffy turns and punches the standing vampire once, twice, three times in the gut, watching just long enough for the one attacking Tara to collapse into dust. But the fallen vampire has regained it's feet during her distraction and grabs her by her jacket and throws her against the faded brick wall. She gasps at the impact. The vampire and it's companion both grab at her.

Tara shivers in fear as the vampire strikes the cross from her hands. Suddenly, it turns to dust and disappears, letting her see Faith pounding on her target and Buffy in trouble from her two. "Faith! Just stake him, please, Buffy needs a hand!"

Tara's voice breaks through Faith's rage. She looks around, becoming aware of the situation. She pulls back. Staring at Buffy, she draws a stake and dusts her victim. Glancing at Tara, she hurries to where Buffy struggles desperately. The one on the left cries out "For Kakistos we live! For Kakistos you'll die!" before he begins to bend over toward her neck. Faith reaches the group and slams her stake with desperate strength into the vampire's back. As it dusts, she attacks the remaining vampire deeper into the alley before she pummels it into unconsciousness, before finally staking it.

As she sits there on the dirty cement, Buffy walks up beside her. "What happened back there?" she asks.

Tara sits down beside her and pulls her close. "We should get going, sweetie." She stands, pulling a reluctant Faith to her feet. As she begins to head for home, Faith resists, at least until Buffy takes her other arm and together, they lead the damaged slayer home.


End file.
